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THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. \ 


^ Noucl. 





N£W YORK: 

CopTiuoHT, iSga, bt 

G. IV, Dillingham, Publisher, 

Successor to G. W. Carleton & Co 
MDcecxcii 


f y 

•« 

Bt captain MAYNE REID, 

VN 

AUTHOR OF “tub 8CALP HUNTEliS,” — “THE RIFLE EANOF.RS,” “TUB 

TIORK HUNTER,” — ‘tHS WAR TRAIL,” “ THE WHITE CHIEF,” 

— “the hunter’s feast,” — “the wild hi’ntuess,” — “th* 

WOOD RANGERS,” “WILD LIFE,” — “THE MAROON,” 

“OSCEOLA THE SEMINOLE,” — “ THE WHITE GAUNT- 
LET,” “ THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN,” 

ETC., ETC., ETC. 


I 


I 









rjl-CLiB WORKS 


CAmiN MAYNE REID. 


1. 

2. 

8 . 

4 . 

6 . 

6. 

7 . 

a 

9. 

10 . 

’, 1 . 

12 

18 . 

14 . 

16. 

16 . 


THB SCALP UUNTEBS, 

THE WAK TKAIL. 

THE HUNTKK’s rSAST. 

THE THJEK liUNTElL 
OSCEOLA, TI E SEJHNOta. 
THE QVAHKOON. 

KANGEUS AND KEGITLATOBO, 
TUB white GAUNTLET. 

WILD LIFE. 

THE HEADLESS UOKSHXAX 
LOST LF.NORE. 

Tn.’ MOOD RANGERS. 

THE WHITE CllIEP. 

THE M'ILD nUNTRKSa. 

THE MAROON. 

THE RIFLE RANOETIS. 


0l^>t&Ir Mayne Rotd’s workf arc oi an Intenaoly Int«r86 ^ 
Ujr and fancinat'iiij cliaracUT. Nearly all of tltem 
twlng founded upon some historical erent, they 
poeMSH a (KTOianont value while preaentln^' 
a tikhllliiiT, carncHt, dashini' flction enr 
naased bv no nove) of to* day. 

Q. W. WILLINGHAM, I'UHLISHEB. 

SrOOKSBOR TO 

d. w. CARLETON & CO., New Tort 



t 




I 


CHAPTER I. 


f M E BURNT PRAIRIE. 

On the ffreat plain of Texas, about a Imncinnl miles Bouthwa«’d from the old 
Spanish town of San Antonio do Bajar, tlie mx>nday sun is shedding his 
Ix'ams from a sky of cerulean brightness. T. nder the golden light aj>pears 
ft group of objects, but little in unison witli tho laudscaiie around them ; 
since tliey lietokeii the jiresenco of human beings, in a spot where there is 
no sign of human habitation. 

The objects in question are easily idcnti.fied — even at a great distAnce. 
They are waggons; each covenxl with its ribbed and roundt^ tUt of snow- 
white “ Osnaburgh.” 

Tiiere are ten of them — scarce enough to constitute a “caravan” of tra- 
ers, nor yet a “ government train.” Tliey are more likely the iudividual 
'rojierty of an emigrant ; who has landed uinin the coast, and is wending 
nis way to one of .as late-fonned siitllcinents on the Leona. 

Slowly crawling acro.ss tho savannah, it could scaice be told that they are 
In motion ; but for their relative position, in long serried line, indicating tli« 
order of march. 

The dark bodies between each two declare that the teams are attached ; 
and tliat tiiey are making progress is proved, liy tho retn'ating antelope, 
scared from its noomlay siata, and the long-shanked curlew, rising with a 
screech from tb swani — Isith biril and beast wondering at tho string of 
strange behemoihs, thus invading their wilderness domain. 

Elsewhere upon the prairie, no movement may he detected— either bird 
or quadrujied. It is the time of day when all tropical life liecomes torpid, 
or seeks rejiose in the shade ; man alone, stimulated by the love of gain, or 
the promptings of ambition, disregarding the laws of nature, and defying 
the fervor of the sun. 

So seems it with the owner of the tilted train ; who, despite tho relaxing 
intiuence of tho fierce mid-day heat, keeps moving on. 

That he is an emigrant — and not one of the ordinary class — is evidenced 

a variety of ways. Tl»e ten large waggons of Pittsburgh build, each 
hauUd by eight able bodied mules ; their miscellaneous contents: plenteous 
provisions, articles of costly furnitun?, even f»f luxe, live stock in the sha})© 
of coloured women and children ; the groups of black and yellow bonds- 
men, walking alongside, or straggling fbot-sore in the rear ; the travelling 
carriage in the lean, drawn by a span of sleek-coated Kentucky mules, and 
driven by a black Jehu, sweltering in a suit of livery ; all bespeak, not a poor 


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/ TIIK HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 

S’ortliorn States settler in search of a now home, but a rich Sonthemor 
,who liHS aln'ady purchased tmc, and is on his way to take possession of it. 
I And this is the exact story of the train. It is tho jjroperty of a planter 
vho has landed at Indianola on the <hilf of Matagorda ; and is now travei- 
/ling overland — en njute for his destination. 

In the cortege that acc<jmi)anies it, riding habitually at its head, is tho 
planter himself — Woodley Pointdexter — a tall thin man of fifty, with a 
slightly sallowish complexion, and asjK-ct i)roudly severe. He is simply 
chough not inexjwnsively clad ; in a loosely fitting frock of alpaca cloth, a 
waistcoat of black satin, and trousers of nankin. A shirt of finest linen 
shows its plaits through the opening of hi.s vest — its collar embraced by a 
piece of black ribbon • while the shoe, resting in tho stirrup, is of finest 
tanned leather, ilis ftotwros are shaded by a broad-brimmed Leghorn hat. 

Two horsemen are ri<>ing alongside — one on his right the other on his 
left — a stripling scarce twenty, and a young man six or seven years older. 
The former is his son — a youth whose ojH'n cheerful countenance contrasts, 
not only with tho severe aspect of his father, but with the somewhat sinis- 
ter features on the other side, and which belong to his cousin. 

The youth is dressed in a French blouse of sky-colored “cottonade,” with 
trousers of the same material ; a moat ajipropriate costume for a .southern 
climate, and which, with tho Panama hat upon his head, is equally bticom- 
ing 

The cousin, an ex-ofilrer of volunteers, afTects a military undress of dart 
blue cloth, with a forage cap to correspond 

There is another horseman riding near, who, on account of having a 
white skin — not white for all that — is entiili'd to description. His coarser 
features, and cheaper habiliments : the keel-coloured cow-hide clutched in 
his right-hand, and flirted with such evident skill, proclaim him the over- 
B,.er — and whipiier up — of the swarthy pedestrians composing the cnlou- 
rage of the train 

The travelling carriage, which is a “ carriolle” — a sort of cross iictween a 
Jersey waggon and a barouche — has two occujiants. One is a young lady 
of tho whitest skin ; the other a girl of tho blackest. The former is the 
daughter of Woodley Pointdexter — his only daughter. She of tho sable 
complexion is tho young lady's handmaid 

The emigrating party is from the “ coast" of the Mississippi — from Louis- 
Ina. The planter is not himself a native of this State — in other words a 
Creole ; but the type is exhibited in the countenance of his eon — still more 
in that fair face, seen occasionally thn)Ugh the curtains of the carriole, and 
whoso delicate features declare descent from one of those endorsed damsels 
—Jilles (I la caeette — who, more than a hundred years ago, came across the 
Atlantic with proofs of their virtue — In the caeket ! 

A grand sugar planter of the South is Woodley Pointdexter ; one of the 
highest and haughtiest of his class ; one of the most profuse in aristocratic 
hospitalities ; hence the necessity of forsaking his Mississippian home, and 
transferring liimself and his “ penates" — with only a remnant of his “nig- 
gers,” — to the wilds of south-western Texas. 

" * # * * ♦ 

'Tlie sun is upon the meridian lino, and almost in the zenith. The trav 
«li»r» tread upon their own sha<low8. Enervated by the excesaivo heat, the 
whj:t horsemen sit silently in their saddles. Even tho dusky pedestrians 


THE HEAPLKSS HORSEMAN. 




11 


3 aensiblo to its influence, have C(*ase<i th<*ir garrulous "gnml)o;” and, inf 
straggling groups, shamble listh-ssly along tho rear of the waggons. [ 

The silence — solemn as that of a funeral procession — is interrupted only i 
at intervals by the pistol like crack of a whip, or the loud “ wo-ha,” deliv / 
er vl in deep baritone from the thick lips of some sable te.amster. \ 

.Slowly tho team moves on, as if gi-o[)ing its way. There is no n'gular 
r la 1. The route is indicated by the wlieol-marks of some vehich-s that 
hav.j jiassed before — barely conspicuous, by having crushed tho culms of tho 
s!i )rt grass. 

Notwithstanding tho slow progress, tho teams are d<vng their l) 08 t. The 
planter bolioves himscilf within less than twenty miles of tho end of his ^ 
journey. He hopes to reach it before night : hence tlio march continued 
"through the rahl-d.ay heat. 

UnextH'Ctedly tlio <lrivers are directed to pull tip, by a sign from tho over- 
seer ; who has bet'll riding a hundred yards in the advance, and who is seen 
to lu.iko a sudden st'q) — as if some obstruction had presenU'd itwlf. 

lit) coinc.s trotting back towards tho train. His gestures tell of something 
amis.s. What is it ? 

Tiiitrt) has bei'n much talk about Indians — of a probability of their being 
encountori'd ia this quarter. 

Can it ’k) tht) red-skinned marauders? Bcarccly : the gestures of tho ' 
overst e' dt) not Iwtray actual alarm. ^ 

“ VVhat is it, Mr. Sarisom?” vsked the planter, as the man nale up. \ 

“ Tho grass air burnt. Tho prairy's l)eon afire.” . 

“ Been on fire ! Is it on fire now ?" hurriedly inquired the o'wucr of th« / 
waggons, with an apprehensivo glance towards the travelling carriage. 

“ Where T I see no smoke I” 

“ No, sir — no,” stammered the overseer, becoming conscious that he had 
caused unnecessary alarm ; " I didn’t say it air afire now ; only that hex 
been, an the hul ground air as black as the ten o’ spades !” 

“ Ta — tat ! what of that ? I supjiose wo can travel over a black prairie, 
as safely as a green one ? 

“ What nonsense of you, Josh Sansom, to raise such a row about nothing, 
frightening the jieople out of their senses! Ho! there, you niggers! Lay) 
tho leather to your teams, and let the train proceed. Whip up! — whip up!” 

" But, Cajitain Calhoun,” protested tho overseer, in response to the gen- 
tleman who had reproached iiimin such severe terms; “ how air wo to find 
tho way ?” 

“Find tho way! Wliat are you raving about? Wo haven’t lost it — 
have wo ?” 

“ I’m nfeerd wo hov, though. Tlio wheel-tracks ain’t no longer to be seen 
They’re burnt out, along wi’ tho grass.” 

“ What matters that ? I reckon we can cross a piece of scorched prairici 
without wheel-marks to guide us? We’ll find them again on the otho; 
side.” 

“ Ye-es,” naively respionded the overseer, who, although a “ down-caster’^ 
had been far enough west to have learnt something of frontier life ; 
thoer air any other side. I kedn’t see it out o’ the seddle — ne’er a si, 
it.” 

“ Whip up, niggers I whip up I” shoutod Calhoun, without heeding 


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.12 


THK IIEAnLESS HORREMAW. 


'tomark ; nnd ppurrinp onwards, as a sign that llie order was to bo obeyed 
j The teams are again set in motion ; nnd, after advancing to tlie edge ol 
» till' burnt tract, wiiliout instructions from any one, arc once more brougiit 
*to a stand. 

The white men on horseback draw togctlicr for a consultation. Tlierc is 
nin,*d : as all are sa.isSed by a single glance directed to the ground before 
them. 

j Far as the eyo can reach the country is of one uniform colour — blarl; a 
J Erebus. There is nothing green — not a blade of grass — not a reed i.er 
. Weed ! 

' It is after the summer solstice. The ripened culms of gram\nc<t, and the 
prairie flowers, have alike crumbled into dust under the devastating breath' 
; of fire. 

1 In front — on the right and left — to the utmost verge of vision extends the 

FCt'nc of desolation. Over it the cerulean sky is changed to a darker blue ; 
the sun, though clear of clouds, seems to scowl rather than shine — as if re- 
cii)rocating the frown of the earth. 

The overs<!er has made a correct report — there is no trail visible. The 
action of the fire, ns it raged among the ripe grass, has eliminated the im- 
pres.sion of the wheels hitherto indicating the route. 

“ What are we to do?” 

^ Tlie planter himself put this inquiry, in a tone that told of a vacillating 
( spirit. 

“ Do, uncle Woodley 1 What else but keep straight on ? The river must 

bo on the other side? If we don’t hit the cros.'^ing, to a half mile, or so, 

wo can go tip, or down the bank — as the aise may require.” 
f “ Ihit, Cassius : if wo should lose our way ?’’ 

I “ We can’t. There's but a ]iatch of this, I snjiposo ? If we do go a littU 

/ astray, w’e must amie out somewhere — on one side, or the other.” 

. •' Well, nephew, you know beat : I shall be guided by you.” 

i “ No fear, uncle. I’ve made my way out of a worse fix than this. Drive 

1 on, niggers ! Keep straight after me.” 

' The ex-ofliccr of volunteers, casting a conceited glance towards the trav- 
» elling carriage — through the curtains of which apiM-nrs a fair face, slightly 

( shadowed with anxiety — gives the spur to his horse ; and with confident 
air trots onward. 

A chorus of whipcracks ia Bncceedcd by the trampling of fourscore mules, 
mingled with the clanking of wheels against their hubs. The waggon-train 
is once more in motion. 

The mules step o\it with greater rapidity. The sable surface, strange to 
their eyes, excites them to brisker action — causing them to miso the lumf, 
jis soon as it touches the turf. The young animala show fear — snorting, as 
they advance. 

^ In time their apprehensions l)ccomo allayed ; and, taking their cue from 
.heir older associates, they move on steadily as before. 

{ A mile or more is made, njtpari'ntly in a direct line from the point of 
\irting. Then then' is a halt. The 6elf-api>ointed guide has ottered it 
I has reined up his horse ; and is sitting in the saddle with less show of 
mdenco. He npi)onr8 to lx- pu/zled alwiit the din'clion. 

The landscape— if such it may be called — has assumed a change ; though 





THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


\ 

I 


i 

» 

13', 


not for the better. It is still sable as ever to the verge of the lutrizon. But 
the surface is no longer a plain ; it rolls. There are ridges — gentle uudula- 
tious — with valleys between. They are not entirely in'eless — though 
nothing that may Ixi termed a tree is in sight. There have l)een such be- 
fore th(‘ fire — algarobias, tnczquites, and others of the acacia family — standing 
solitarv or in copses. Their light pinnate foliage has disapiHjared like llax 
Isrfore'the flame. Their existence is only evidenced by charred trunks, and 
blackene 1 boughs. 

” You've lost the way, nephew ?’’ said the planter, rising rapidly up. 

‘‘No uncle — not yet. I've only stopjxHl to hav’o a look. It must lie in 
this direction — down that valley. Ix't them drive on. We’re going all 
right — I'll answer for that.” 

Once more in motion — adown the slope — then along the valley — then up 
the acclivity of another ridge — and then there is a second stoppage upon 
its crest. 

•' You’ve lost the way. Cash ?” said the planter, coming up and repeating 
his former observation. 

“ D d if I don’t believe I have, uncle I” responded the nephew, in a 

tone of not very respi'ctful mistrust ” Anyhow ; who the devil C4mld find 
his way out of an ashpit like this? No, no,” ho continued, reluctant to 
betray his embarrassment, as the carriole came up. “ I sec now. We are all 
right. Tilts river must bo in this direction.” 

On goes the guide, evidently irresolute. On follow the sable teamsters, 
who, despite their stolidity, do not fail to note some of the vacillation. 'Fhey 
can tell that they are no longer advancing in a direct line ; but circuitously 
among the copses, and across the glades that stretch lietween. 

All are gratified by a shout from the conductor, announcing recovered 
confidence. In response there is a universal explosion of whipcord, with 
joyous exclamations. 

Once more they are stretching their teams along a travelled road — where 
a halfscore of wheeled vehicles must have pnsseil before them. And not 
long before : the wheel-tracks are of reamt impress — the hoofprint of tho 
animals fresh as if made within tho hour’. A train of waggons, not unlike 
their own, must have passed over tho burnt prairie I 

Like themselves, it could only bo going towards tho Leona : perhaps 
some government convoy on it way to Fort Inge ? In that ctiSfi they have 
only to keep in the same track. ’The Fort is on the lino of their march — 
but a short distance beyond tho point where thc'ir journey is to terminate. 

Nothing could bo more opiwrtuno. Tho guide, hitherto iK;rplcxed — 
though without acknowledging it — is at once relieved of all anxiety ; and 
with a fresh exhibition of conceit, onlers the route to bo resumal. 

For a mile or more tho waggo -tracks are followed — not in a direct line, 
but bending about among tho ske ^ton copses. The countenance of C’assius 
Calhoun, for a while wearing a coiifident look, gradually becomes cloude<l. 
It assumes tho profoiindcist expres.sion of desiwndency, on discovering that 
the four and-forty wheel-tracks he is following, have been made by ten 
Pittsburgh waggons, an<l a carriwlo — the same th.at are now following him. 
and in whose company ho has been travelling all the way from Matagorda ! 


i 

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14 


THS HEADLESS lIOIlSEMAir. 


CILVPTEU II. 


I TnETKAILOyTHBLAZO. 

Brtond doubt, the waggons of W’oodlclgh Pointdoxtcr were going ovni 
ground already traced by tbo tiring of their wheels. 

Our own tracks I” muttered Calhoun on making the discovery, adding a 
fierce oath as he reined up. 

“Our own tracks! What mean you, Cassius? You don't say we’ve bc'on 
travelling — ’’ 

“ On our own tracks. I say, uncle ; that very thing. Wo must have made 
a complete circumbendibus of it. See! here's the hind hoof of my horse, 
with half a shoe ofiF ; and there's the feet of the niggers. Besides, I can tell 
tho ground. That's the very hill we went down as wo left our last stojv 
ping place. Bang tho crooked luck ! Wo’vo made a couple of miles for 
nothing.” 

Embarrassment is no longer the only expression ujwn the face of tho 
spr-aker. It has deepened to chagrin, with an admixturo of shamo. It is 
through him that tho train is without a regular guide. One, engaged at 
Indianola, had piloted them to their last camping place. There, in conso- 
quenco of some dispute, duo to the surly temptjr of tho ex-captain of volun- 
r teers, the man had demanded his dismissal, and gone hack. 

> Fr)r this — as also for an ill timed display of confidence in his |>owcr to 
conduct tho march — is tho planter's nej)how now sutrering »inder a sense of 
^ shame. He feels it keenly as tho carriole comes up, and bright eyes become 
witnesses of his discomfiture. 

Poindexter does not repeat his inquiry. That tho road is lost is a fact 
evident to all. Even to tho barefoote<l or “broganned” pedestrians have 
recognised their long-heeled footprints, and become aware that they are for 
the second time treading upon the same ground. 

There is a general halt, succeeded by an animated conversation among 
tho white men. Tho situation is serious: tho planter himself Ix-lieves it to 
be so. He cannot that day reach tho end of his jounuy -a thing upon 
which he had 8<H his mind. 

That is tho very least misfortune that can lx>fal them. There are others 
possible and probable. There aio pt^rils uiwn the burnt plain. They may 
be compelled to e}K‘nd tho night ui>on it, with no water for their nnimoli 
Perhaps a second day and night — or longer — who can tell how long'f 

How are they to find their way ? Tho sun is beginnin^^ to descend ; 
though still too high in heaven to indicate his lino of declination. By wait- 
ing a wliilo they may discover tho quarter of a compass. 

But to what purpose ? Tho knowledge of cast, west, north, and south 
can avail nothing now ; they have lost their Hue of march. 

Calhoun has become cjiutious. Ho no longer volunteers to point out the 
path. Ho hesitates to repeat his pioneering experiments — after such mani 
rest and shameful failure. 

A ten minutes discussion ends in nothing. No one can suggest a feasible 
plan of proceeding. No one knows how to escajH) from tho embrace of that 


i 


i 

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I 


TUB HEADLESS HOR8EMAK. 


15 I 


dark desert, which appears to cloud not only tho sun and sky, but the conn 
tcuauo's of all who enter within its limits. 

A flock of black vultures is seen Hying afar off. They come nearer, and 
ne.arer. Some alight uix)n tho ground — others hover above tho heads of the 
bt raved travellers. Is there a Ixnling in the behaviour of the birds? 

Another ten minutes is sjumt in tho midst of moral and physical gloom. 
Tlien, as if by a benignant mandate from heaven, does chef^rfuln.'ss re as. 
sumo' its sway. Tho cause ? A horseman riding in tho direction of tho 
train ! 

.\n unexi>ected sight ; who could have looked for human l)eing in such a 
place V All eyes simultancouBly sparkle with joy ; as if in the approach of 
the horseman, tht'y beheld the adv'imt of a saviovir ! 

” He's coming this way, is ho not ?” imjuired the planter, scarce confident 
in his failing sight. 

“ Yes, father; straight as he can ride," replied Henry, lifting tho hat frf»m 
his head, and waving it on high : tho action accompanied by a shout inteud- 
ed to attnact the horseman. 

The .signal was superfluous. Tlie stronger had already sighted the halU^l 
waggons; and, riding towards them at a gallop, was soon within speaking 
distance. 

He did not draw bridle, until he had passed the train ; and arrived uikuj 
the spot occupied by tho planter and his party. y 

“ A Mexican !” whi8[)ered Henry, drawing his deduction from the habila- / 
monts of tho horseman. V 

“ So much the better,” replied Poindexter, in the same tone of voice ; “ he’ll 
be all the more likely to know tho road." 

“ Not a bit of Mexican about him," muttered Calhoun, “excepting tho 
rig. I’ll soon se^j. Buctm dins, cavclkro ! Beta V. Mexieano t (Good day, 
sir ! are you a Mexican ?” 

“ Nfi, indeed,’’ roplied tho stranger, with a protecting smile. “ Anytldng 
but that. I can siwak to you in Spanish, if you prefer it ; but I daresay you 
will understand mo better in English : which I presume, is your native 
tongue?” 

Calhoun, suspecting that ho had spoken indifferent Spanish, or indiffer 
ontly pronounced it, refrains from making rejoinder. 

" .American, sir," replied Poindexter, his natural pride feeling slightly 
piqued. Then, as if fearing to offend the man from whom he intended ask- 
ing a favour, ho added : “ Yes, sir ; wo are all Americans — from tho Southern 
State.t .’ ' 

“ That I can iwrceive by your following.’’ An expression of contempt — 
scarce ]xirceptible — slunved itself ujwn tho countenance of tho sjH'akor, as 
his eye rested upon tho group.s of black bondsmen. “ I can perceive, too,” 
ho added, “ that you are strangers to prairie travelling. You have lost your 
way 

We have, sir ; and have very little prospect of recovering it, unless wo 
may count u\x)n your kindness to direct us.” 

" Not much kindno.se in that. By the merest ch..nce I came upon your 
trt il, as I was crossing tho prairie. I saw you were going astray ; and have 
ridden this way to sc't you right. ’ 

" Il is very good of you. vVe shall bo most thankful, sir. My name is 



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TIIU invOLESS IIOKSEMAN. 


.1 


I 

/ 


J 


Poindoxtor — W<MMl!cy P.>iti'l<‘\t»'r, of Ijouislnna. I have jmrehaw'd a prop 
eriy on tho Loona river, iii ar Fort Injjc. o were in 1 io{h‘S oi reaching it 
before nightfall, (’an we dt) so ?" 

“ There is nothing to hinder you : if you follow tho instructions I shall 

On saying this, tho stranger role a few paces apart ; and npp<'4ireil to 
scrutinize the country — as if to <letenuino tho direction which the travellers 
should take. 

i\)ised consi>icuously upon the crest of tho ridge, horse and man 
t‘d a ])icture worthy of skilful delineation. 

A steed, such as might have been ritlden by an Arab sheik — bhsHl bay in 
colour — broad in counter — with limbs clean as culms of cane, and hips ot 
«‘Ui[>ticjil outline, continued into a magnificent tail swe<-piiig rearward 
like a rainlsiw ; on his back a riiler — a young man of more than five-and- 
twenty — of noble form and features; habited in the picturesijiK^ costume 
of a Mexican rmichiro — spencer jacket of velveteen — calzoncna laced along 
tho Ri'unis — cidzoticillos of piiow-whito l«i\vn — hotos huff loutlicr, 

hiuuTod at tho liocly — anauid tlio waist a prarf of Pcarlot craiK^ ; and hia 
head a hat of black glaz»% banded with gold bullion. Picture to jourself a 
horseman thus habited ; seated in a di'i^ji tn^e-saddle, of Mwirish sliajs* ainl 
Mexican manufacture, with hou.sings of leather stamiKnl iii antique 'atterns 
such ns wen! worn by the caparisoneil sti-eds of the Conquistadores ; picture 
to yourself such a ctivallcro, and you will l.avo iK'fore your mind s^ eje a 
counterpart of him, ujxm wliom the jtlanter and his jwople were gazing. 

Through tho curtains of tho travelling carriage he was regarded with 
"•lanci'S that siMike of a singular sentiment. For tho first time in her life, 
Louisa PoindexU'r hsiketl u|s)n that — hitherto known only to her imagina- 
tion — a man of heroic mould. Proud might Ijo have been, could heliavo 
gui'sscKl the interest which his presence was exciting in tho breast of tho 

^ '^lle'could not and did not. lie was Pot even aware of her existence lie 
had only glanc .l at the dust be daubed vehicle in imssing— as one might 
hsik ujxin the rude incrustation of an oyster, without suspecting that a 
previous iH'arl may lie gleaming inside. 

Hy my faith !" he divlared, facing round to tho owner of tho waggons, 
“ I can discover no landmarks for you to steer by. For all that, I can find 
the way mvself. You will have to cross the Lrxma five miles below tho 
Fort ; and, as I have to go by the crossing myself, you can follow tho tracks 
of mv horse. Good day, gentlemen !” • » i 

Thus abruptly bidding adieu, he pressed tho spur against the side of hii 

steed ; and started off at a gallop. , ’e a* 

All miexiK'cted— almost uncourtoous departure ! bo thought tho planti.r 

They had no time to make observation upon it, before the stranger was 

seen returning towards them I „ i .«i 

In ten s.'conds he was again in their prescnco— all listening to learn what 

had brought him back. . 

“ I fear tho tracks of my horse may prove of 1‘ttlo service to you. The 

mutinngi have been this way, since tl\e fire. They have 

by the thousand. Mine are shod ; but, as you are not accustomed to trail 


) 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 17 

ing, you may not he able to distinguish them — the more so, that in tiiesti 
dry ashes all hooftracks are so nearly alike. 

" What are we to do ?” despairingly asked the planter. 

“ I am sorry, Mr. Poindexter, I cannot stay to conduct you. I am riding 
exiiress, with a despatch for the Fort. If you $hwild lose my trail, kivp the 
sun on your right shoulders: so that your shadows may fall to the left, at 
an angle of alsuit fifteen degrees to your line of march. Go straight for- 
ward for about five miles. You will then come in sight of the top of a tall 
tree — a cypress. You will know it by its leaves being in the red. Head di- 
rect for this tree. It stands on the bank of tho river ; and close by is tho 
cnissing.” 

The young horseman, once more drawing up his reins, was aliout to ride 
off; when something caused him to linger. It was a jiair of dark lustrous 
eyes — observed by him for tho first time — glancing through the curtains of 
the travelling carriage. 

Their owner was in shadow ; but there was light enough to show, that 
they were set in a countenance of surpassing loveliness. lie perceived, 
moreover, that they were turned ujxui himself— fixed, as he fancied, in an 
expn-ssion that betokened interest — almost tenderness! 

lie returned it with an involuntary glance of admiration, which lie made 
but an awkward attempt to conceal. Ix-st it might be mistaken for rude- 
ness, he 8udd(!nly faced round ; and once more addressing himself to tho 
jilanter — who had just finished thanking him for his civility. 

“ I am but ill deserving thanks,” was his rejoinder, " thus to leave yon 
with a chance of losing your way. But, as I’ve told you, my time is meas 
ured ” 

The despatch-bearer consulted his vratch — as though not a little reluctant 
to travel alone. 

“ You are very kind, sir,” said Poindexter ; but with the direction you 
have given us, I think wo shall be able to manage. The sun will surely 
show us ” 

“ No : now I look at the sky, it will not. There are clouds looming up 
on tho north. In an hour, tho sun may bo obscured — at all events, before 
you can get within sight of the cypress. It will not do. Stay 1" he con- 
tinued, after a reflective pause, “ I have a better plan still : foUow the trail of 
nii/ lazo !” 

While speaking, he had lifted tho coiled rope from his saddle lx)w, and 
flung tho loose end to tho earth — the other being secured to a ring in tho 
])ommel. Then raising his hat in graceful salutation — more than half di- 
rected towards tho travelling carriage — ho gave the spur to his steed ; and 
once more bounded off over the ])rairio. 

The lazo, lengthening out, tightened over the hips of his horse ; and, 
dragging a dozen yards behind, left a lino upon tho cinereous surface— as If 
some slender eeri>ent had l)een making its passage across tho jdain. 

"An exceedingly curious fellow!” remarked the planter, as they stood 
gazing after the horseman, fast becoming hidden behind a cloud of sable 
dust. “ I ought to have aske-d him his name V' 

" An exceiHiingly conceited fellow. I should sa.y,” muttered Calhoun ; who 
had not failed to notice the glance sent by tho stranger in tho direction of 
the carriole, nor that which had challengetl it. “ As to his name, I don’t 


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18 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAIt. 


thmk it mattora much. It mightn’t be. his own he would give you. Texaj 
18 full of such swells, who take now namos when they get here— by way of 
; Impnivement, if for no belter reason.” 

( “Come, cousin Cash,” protested young Poindexter; "you are unjust to 
me stranger. He apjiears to be educated — in fact, a gentleman — worthy of 
bearing the best of names, I should say.” 

I “ A gentleman : Deuced unlikely : rigged out in that fanfaron fashion. I 
never saw a man yet, that took to a Mexican dress, who wasn’t a /ar/t. He’s 
one, I’ll be bound.” 

During this brief conversation, tho fair occupant of the carriole was seen 
to l)end forward ; and direct a look of evident interest, after the fonu of the 
horseman fast rocodiilg from her view. 

To tliis, perhaps, might have been traced the acrimony observable in tho 
speech of Calhouu. 

“ ^at is it. Loo ?” he inquired, riding close up to the carriage, and speak- 
in a voice not loud enough to be heard by the others. You ap|)ear impa- 
tient to go forward ? Perhaps you’d like to ride off along with that swag- 
gering fellow ? It isn’t too late : I’ll lend you my horse.” 

The young girl threw herself back upon the seat— evidently displeased, 
both by the speech and the tone in which it was delivered. But her dis- 
I pleasure, instead of expressing itself in a frown, or iu the Bha{>e of an in- 
dignant rejoinder, was concealed under a guise far more galling to him 
i who had caused it. 

' A clear ringing laugh was tho only reply vouchrafed to him. 

I “ So. so ! I thought there must bo something— by the way you behaved 
^yourself in his presence. You looked as if you would have relished a Me- 
j a-tete with this showy despatch-bearer. Taken with his stylish dress, I sup- 
l>oae ? Fine feathers make fine birds. His are borrowed. I may strip them 
off some day, along with a little of the skin that’s under them.” 

" For shame, Cassius I your words are a scandal 1” 

“ 'Tis you should think of scandal. Loo ! To lot your thoughts turn on a 
common scamp — a masquerading fellow like that 1 No doubt the letter car- 
rier, employed by tho officors at the Fort 1” 

“ A letter carrier, you think ? Oh, how I should like to get love letters 
by such a postman 1" 

“ You had better hasten on, and tell him so. My horse is at vour ser- 
yico.” 

" Ha l ha 1 ha ! What a simpleton you show yourself 1 Suppose, for 
jesting’s sake, I did have a fancy to overtake this prairie postman ! It 
couldn’t be done uptm that dull steed of yours : not a bit of it ! At the 
rate he is going, ho and his blood-bay will be out of sight before you could 
change saddles for me. Oh, no ! he’s not to be overtaken by me, however 
much I might like it ; and ptirhnpe I might like it !" 

“ Don’t let your father hear you talk in that way.” 

" Don’t let him hear you talk in that way,” retorted the young lady, for 
the first time speaking in a serious strain. " Though you ar* my cousin, 
and papa may think you the pink of perfection, I don’t — not 1 1 I never 
told you I did— did I ?” 

A frown, evidently called forth by some unsatisfactory reflection, was th« 
•nly reply to this tantalizing inUrrogativs. 


/ 


THE HEADLESS HORSEUAW. 


/ 






19 


“ You ar« my cousin,” she continued, in a tone that contrasted strangely 
with tho levity she had already exhibittxl, " but you are nothing moro- 
nothing more — Captain Cassius Calhoun ! You have no claim to be my 
counsellor. There is but one from whom 1 am in duty bound to take advico 
or bear reproach. I therefore beg of you. Master Cash, that you will not 
again presume to repeat such sentiments — as those you have just favored 
me with. I shall remain mistress of my own thoughts — and actions, too, 
— till I have found a master who can control them. It is not you !” 

Having delivered this siMjech, with eyes flashing — half angrily, half con- 
temptuously — upon her cousin, the young Creole once more threw herself 
back upon the cushions of tho carriole. 

The closing curtains admonished tho ex-officer, that fqrther conversation 
was not desired. 

Quailing under the lash of indignant innocence, he was only too happy 
to hear tho loud "gee-on” of the teamsters, as the waggons commenced 
moving over the sombre surface— not more sombre than his own thought a 


CHAPTER III. 


THE PRAIUIE FINGER-POST. 


The travellers felt no further uneasiness about tho route. The ■nako/’ 


J 


like trail was continuous ; and so plain that a child might have followed it' 


7 


It did not run in a right line, but meandering among the thickets; av 
times turning out of the way, in jdact's where the ground was cleaij of tim-'. 
bcr. This had evidently been done with an intent to avoid obstruction to\ 




the waggons ; since at each of these windings the travellers could perceive \ 
that there were breaks, or other incxjualities, in the surface. , 

“ How verj- thoughtful of tho young feUow 1” remarked Poindexter. "I 
really feel regret at not having asked for his name. If he belong to the 
Fort, we shall see him again.” 

" No doubt of it,” aasimted his son. " I hope we shall.” 

His daughter, reclining in sh.adow, overheard the conjectural speech, as 
well as the rejoinder. She said nothing ; but her glance towards Henry 
seemed to declare that her heart fondly echoed the hojK;. 

Cheered by the prospect of soon lenninating a toilsome journey — ns also 
by the pleasant .anticipation of behoiding, before sunset, his new purchase 
— the planter was in one of hi.-< happiest moods. His aristocratic bosom 
was moved by tn unusual amount of condescension, to all around him. 
Ho chatted familiarly with his over8«!er ; stopjKjd to crack a joke with 
"Uncle” Scipio, hobbling along on blistered heels; and encouraged “Aunt” 
Chloe in tho transport of her piccaninny. 

"Marvellous!” might the. observer exclaim — misled by such exceptional 
interludes, so pathetically described by tbe scribblers in Lucifer’s pay — 

" what a fine patriarchal institution is slavery, after all 1 After all we have 
said and done to alxdish itl A waste of sympathy — sheer philanthro]>iG 
folly to attempt the destruction of this ancient tnlifice — worthy corner-stone 
to a ‘chivalric’ nation! Oh, ye abolition fanatics! why do yu clamour 


I 


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THE liKADLKbS 1I0R8EMAK. 


20 

“i/^inat it? Know yo not that Bomo must suffer — must work and Ftarre— 
that others may enjoy tho luxury of idleness? That some must bo slaves, 
that others may bo free?” 

Such arguments — at which a world might weep — have been of late but 
too often urged. Woo to the man who speaks, and tho nation that gives oar 
to them. 


1 


\ 


Tlio planter’s high spirits wore shared by his party, Calhoun alone ex* 
ccpto<l. 'i’hey were reflected in the faces of his black bondsmen, who re. 
garded him as the source, and dispe nser, of their liapjuness, or misery — om- 
aij)otent — ncxtto(io<l. They loved him less than Ood, and feared him more; 
though ho was by no means a bad muster — that is, iy comparison, lie did 
: not jibsolutely take delight in torturing them. lie liked to see them well 
I fed and clad — their ei)idermi8 shining with tho exudation of its own oil. 
\ These signs bespoke the imjiortancM* of their proprietor — himself. He was 
I satisfied to let them off with an occasional “ cowhiding" — salutary, he would 
assure you ; and in all his “ stock" there was not one black skin markiMi 
with the mutilations of vengeance — a proud boi;8t for a Mississippian slave- 
owner, and more than most could truthfully lay claim to. 

In the presence of such an exemiilary owner, no wonder that the cheer- 
fulness was universal — or that the slaves should partake of their master’s 
joy, and gave way to their garrulity. 

‘ It was not destined that this joyfulness should continue to the end of their 
journey. It wjis after a time interrupted — not suddenly, nor by any fault 
•n the part of those indulging in it, but by causes and circumstances over 
arhich they had not the slightest control. 

As tho stranger had predicttxl ; the sun ceased to be visible, before the 
/ cy]>ros3 came in sight. 

/ There was nothing in this to cause apprehension. 'The line of the lazo 
i was conspicuous as over ; and they needed no guidance from the sun : only 
S that his cloud-eclipse produced a corresponding effect upon their spirits. 

/ “One might suppose it close upon nightfall,’’ observed the planter, 
I drawing out Ids gold repeater, and glancing at its dial ; “and yet it’s only 
I thrt'c o’clock 1 Lucky the young fellow has left us such a sure guide. But 
for him, we might have floundered among these ashes till sundown ; per- 
) haps have Ix^en comjHjlled to sleep u]K)n them." 

f •• A black bed it would be,” jokingly rejoined Henry, with the design of 
I rendering tho conversation more cheerful. “ Ugh I I should have such ugly 
I dreams, were I to sleep upon them.” 

I “ And I, too,” added his sister, protruding her pretty face through tho 
curtains, and taking a survey of the surrounding scene : “ I’m sure I should 

! dn^am of Tartanis, and Pluto, and Proserpine, and " 

1 “ Hya 1 hya I hya !" grinned the black Jehu, on tho box— enrolled in the 

I plantation l)Ook8 as Pluto Poitulcxter — “ Do young missa dream bout me in do 
mids’ ob dis brack prairie 1 Oolly ! dat am a good joke — berry 1 Hyal 
hya 1 hya I 

j “ Don’t bt^ too sure, all of ye," said tho nephew, at this moment coming 
? up, and taking part in tho conversation — “don’t be too sure that you won t 
! have to make your bods uixm it yet. I hojK) it may bo no worse. ’ 


! 


THE HEADLESS HOUSEMAN. 


2 ; 


" What moan you. Ca.«ih?’’ inquired tho uncle i 

“ I mean, uncle, that that fellow's been misleading us. I won’t say it foi, 
certain ; but it looks ugly. We've come more than five mih‘8 — six, 1 shouhi 
say — and where’s the tree? I’ve examined the horizon, with a pair of uf’ 
gornl eyes as most have got, I reckon ; and there isn’t such a thing in* 
sight." 

“ But why should the stranger have do^x3iv^xi us?" 

“Ah — why ? That’s just it. There may Ik< more reasons than one.” 

“(live us one, then!” challenged a silvery voice from tho carriole. | 
Wo’ro all ears to hear it I" j 

“ Vou’ro all ears to take in cvcrj’thing that’s told you by a stnuigi^’ 
sneeringly replied (’alhoun. “ I sup’.ioso if I gave my reason, you’ll 
charitable as to call it a false alarm ! ’ \ 

“ That depends on its character. Master Cassius. I think you might vei* 
ture to try us. VV’e scarcely exi)ect a false alarm from a soldier, as well as . 
traveller, of your exi>erieuce.” i 

Calhoun felt tho taunt ; and would probably have withhold thocommuni- ) 
cation he had intended to make, but for Poindexter himself. [ 

“ Como, Ca.ssiuB, explain yourself !" demandcHl tho jdanter, in the tone of I 
respectful authority. “ You have said enough to exciUi something moro \ 
than curiosity. For what reason should tho young fellow be leading us j 
astrav ?" / 

“ Well, uncle," answered the ex-officer, retreating a little from his origi-i 
nal accusation, “ I haven’t said for certain that he w ; only that it looks likr- 
it.” ( 

“ In what way ?’’ 

“ Well, one don't know what may ha]>pen. 
and stronger than wo, have been attacked on 

of everything — murdere<l.’’ j 

“ Mercy !’’ exclaimed Louise, in a tone of terror, more affected than real. , 
“ By Indians,” replied Poindexter. x 

‘•Ah — Indians, indeed 1 Sometimes it may bo , and sometimes, too, they f 
may bo whites who play at that game' — not all Mexican whites, neither. It f 
only needs a bit of brown paint ; a hor8<diair wig, with half a dozen feathers t 
stuck into it ; that, and j)lenty of hulla'oalooing. If wo were to bo roblsxi 
by a par^ of white Indians, it wouldn’t be tho first time the thing’s been ^ 
done. We as good as half deserve it — for our greenness, in trusting loo > 
much to a stranger.” j 

“ Good heavens, nephew 1 this is a serious accusation. Do yon mean to f 
say that the despatch-rider — if he be one— is leading us into — into an am- j 
buscade?” 

“ No, uncle ; I don’t say that. I only say that such things have been 
done ; and its possible he may.” 

“ But not prob ible” emphatically interposed tho voice from the carriole, in 
a tone tauntingly quizzical. 

“ No I" exclaimed tho strippling Henry, who. although riding a few pace* > 
ahead, had overheard the conversation. “Your suspicions are unjust, ; 
cousin Cassius. I pronounce them a calumny. What s more I can prove 
them so. Look there 1” 

’The youth had reined up his horse, and was pointing to on object placed 


Travelling parties as strong,*, 
these plains, and plunder^ \ 


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THS HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


22 

i 


ecwspicuouslj bj the path ; which, before speaking, ho had closely scrutla 
Ized. It was a tall plant of the colimmar caetm, whoso green succulent stem 
j had «-8caiHHl scathing by the fire. 

I It was not to the i)lant itself that Henry Poindexter directed the attention 
» of las com j>an ions ; but to a small white disc, of the form of a parallelogram 
irapallod upon one of its spines. No one accustomed to the usages of civil- 
ized life could mi.^take the **card.** It was one. 

Hoar what s written uinm it I” continued the young man, riding nearer, 
and reading aloud the directions ixmcilled uiion the bit of pasteboard. 

The cvniKss in sight I" 

_J' Where?” iiKjuired Poindexter. 

^ i hero 8 a hand,” rejoined Henry, “ with a finger pointing — no doubt in 
.e direction of the tree.” 

/ All eyes were instantly turned towards the quarter of the compass, indi- 
cated by the cipher on the card. 

Had the sun Iwen shining, the cjTiress might have been seen at the first 
glance. As it was, the sky — late of cerulean hue — was now of a leaden 
gmy ; und no straining of the eyes could detect anytliing along the horizon 
re8<-mbling the top of a tree. o o 

” There’s nothing of the kind," asw-rtod (’alhoun, with restored confi- 
dence, at the same time returning to his imworthy accusation. ‘‘It’s only 
* chain of tricks the scamp is playing us.” 

“ lou mistake, cousin (’assius,” replied that same voice that had so often 
contradicUKi him. " Look through this lorgnette I If you haven’t lost tho 
Sight, of those BUix'rior eyi-s of yours, you’ll see something vtry like a tree~% 
Uill tree — and a cypress, too, if over there was one in the swamps of Louisi- 
• una. 


' ('alhoun disdained to take the opera glass from tho hands of his cousin. 
Ho knew it would convict him ; for ho could not suiiikiso she was tollinir an 
untruth. “ 

Poindexter availeil himself of its aid ; and. adjusting tho focus to lus fail- 
ing sight, was enabhxl to distinguish the red leafed cypress, topping up over 
the edge of tho prairie. 

"It’s true,” ho said: “the treo is there. Tho young fellow is honest- 
you’ve boon wronging him. Cash. I didn’t think it likely he should have 
taKen such a queer jilan to make finds of us. Uo there I Mr. Sausum 1 Di- 
rect your teamsters to drive on !” 

Calhoun, not caring to continue the conversation, nor yet remain longer 
m conijiany, spitefully spurred his horse, and trotted off over the prairie. 

" Let me look at that card, Henry 1” said Louisa, 8|M aking to her brother 
in a restrained voice. " I’m curious to see the cipher that has been of such 
servieo to us. Bring it away, brother : it can be of no further use where it 
is — now that we have sightijd tho tree.” 

Henry, without tho slightest suspicion of hii sister’s motive for making 
the re<jue8t, yielded obedience to it. 

Releasing the piece of jiasteboord from its impalement, he "chucked” it 
into her lap. 

" Mauriee Gerald T muttereil the young Creole, after deciphering the name 
upon the card. " Maurice (Jerald !” she repeated, in apostropliic thought, 
as she deposited tho piece of pasteboard in her bosom. " Whoever you art 


THE HEADLESS UORSF..MAN. 


— whence you have come — whither you are going — what you may lie — 
henceforth there it a fate between us ! I feel it — I know it— sure as there s a j 
sky aliove ! Oh 1 how that sky lowers ! Am 1 to take it as a type of this j 
still untraoed destiny I” ' 


CHAPTER IV. 

THH ni,ACK NORTHER 


For some seconds, after surrendering herself to the Sybilline thoughts thus 
expressed, the young lady sate in sileiici' — her white hands acniss her tem- 
ples, ns if her whole soul was absorbed in an attempt, either to explain tho 
past, or penetrate tl:e future. 

Her reverie — whatever might bo its cause — was not of long duration. 
She was awakened from it, on hearing exclamations without — mingled with 
words that declared some object of apprehension. 

She recognizcxl her brother’s void*, speaking in tones that betoken alarm. 

" Look, father 1 don’t you siH) them ?” 

" Whore, Henry — where ?’’ 

“ Yonder — behind the waggons. You see them now 

"I do — though I cannot say what they are. They look like — like ” 

Poindexter was juizzlixl for a simile — ‘‘ I really don’t know what.” 

“ WatersfKuits^’’ euggestixi the ox-caj)tain, who, at sight of the strange 
objects, had condescended to rejoin the ]).arty around tho carriole. " Surely 
it can’t hr; that ? It’s too far from tho sea. I never heard of their occurring’’ 
on tho prairies.” V 

“ They are in motion, whatevet they bi*,” said Henry. “ See I ih(>y keep | 
closing, and then goiag uj>nrt. But for that, one might mistake them lor | 
huge olK'lisks of lilack marble !” v 

"Giants, or ghouls 1” jokingly suggested Calhoun; ‘‘ogres trom som.^ 
other world, who’ve taken a fancy to have a pnmienado on this aliominable. 
prairie I” ) 

The cx-olHcer was only humorous with an effort. As well as the others, 1 
he was under tho influence of an uneasy feeling. \ 

And no wonder. Against the northern horizon had suddenly became uj)-^ 
reared a number of ink-coloured columns — half a score of them — unlike 
anything ever seen iK'foro. They were not of regular columnar form, nor 


fixed in any "way ; but constantly changing size, shape and plac«' — now 
steadfast for a time — now gliding over the charred surface like giants upon| 
skates — anon, bending and balancing towards one another in tho most fan- 
tastic figurings! 

It riHjuired no great effort of imagination, to fancy tho Titans of old, ro- 
fuscitated on the prairies of 'fexas, leading a measure after some wild ca- j 
fousal in the company of Bacchus I ■ 

In the proximity of phenomena never observed before — unearthly in their 1^ 
aspc'ct — unknown to every individu.u of the party — it was but natural thesa 
should 1)0 inspired with alarm. t 

And such was the fact. A sense of danger |w‘tv'ndod every bosom. All 








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were impreaxed with a belief: that they were in the presence of eome peril 
of theprairitt. 

A general halt had been made on first observing the strange object : the 
negroes on foot, as well as the teamsters, giving utterance to shouts of ter- 
ror. Tile animals — mules as well as horses, had come instinctively to a 
'Stand — the latter neighing and trembling — the former filling the air with 
'their shrill screams. 

; These were not the only sounds. From the sable towers could be heard 
a hoarse swishing noise, that resembled the sough of a waterfall — at inter- 
vals breaking into reverberations like the roll of musketry, or the detona- 
^ tions of distant thunder 1 

I hr'Se noises were gradually growing louder and more distinct. The dan- 
ger, whatever it miglit be, was drawing nearer 1 
^ Const' rnation became depicted on the countenances of the travellers, Cal- 
\ houn’s forming no exception. The ex-olBcer no longer pretended levity. 

' The eyes of all were turned towards the lowering sky, and the band of 
\ black columns that appeared to be coming on to crush them I 

At this crisis a shout, reaching their ears from the opposite side, was a 
source of relief — despite the unmistakable accent of aleurm in which it was 
uttered. 

Turning, they beheld a horseman in full gallop— riding direct towards 
' them. 

) The horse was black as coal : the rider of like hue, even to the skin of his 
'face. For all that ho was recognised: as the stranger, upon the trail of 
.whose lajo they had been travelling. 

) The perceptions of woman are quicker than those of man : the young 
^ady within the carriolo was the first to identify him. 

, “ Onward 1” he cried, as soon as within speaking distance. *' On — on I as 
fast as yon can drive !” 

I " What is it 1” demanded the planter, in bewildered alarm. “ Is there a 
I danger ?” 

I “ There is. I did not anticipate it, as 1 passed you, !♦ was only after 
reaching the river, 1 saw tho sure signs of it " 

' “ Of what, sir?” 
j “ The norther.” 

} ” You mean the storm of that name I” 

) ''Ido."* 

\ ” I never heard of its being dangerous,'* interposed Calhoun, “except to 
vessels at sea. It’s precious cold, 1 know ; but ’’ 

/ “You'll find it worse than cold, sir,” interrupt'd the young nor.?eman, 
if you’re not quick in getting out of its way. Mr. Poindexter,” he con- 
inued, turning to tho planter, and speaking with impatient emphasis, “ I 
:ell you, that you and your party are in periL A norther is not always to 
, oe dreaded ; but this one — look yonder I You see those black pillars?” 

V “ We’ve been wondering— didn’t know what to make of them.” 

) “ They're nothing— only the precursors of the storm. Look beyond 1 

j Don't you see a coal-black cloud spreading over the sky V That’s what you 
have to dread. I don’t wish to cause you unnecessary alarm ; but I tell you 
there's death in vonder shadow I It’s in motion, and coming this way. You 
j have no chance to escape it except by speed. If you do not make basta 

I 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAH. 


2i> 


It will be too late In ton minutes’ time you may bo envelop, and tben 
I uTck.S, l“nl,e.t you 1 Orter your drivor, to hurry forward a. foat a. lUry 
can ! The sky— heaven itself— commands you ! 

The planter did not think of refusing compliance, with an 
in such energetic terms. The order was given for tho teams to bo sot m 

motion, and driven at top speed. flTWars rendered 

Terror, that inspired the animals equally vath th . 

supertluous tho use of tho whip. _,„T-ort in fr'int as before 

The travelling carriage, with tho mounted men, mo • 

The stranger al5n?throVhimself in tho rear-aa if to act as a guard against 

‘"i;iS™ril“Soh«,rvc.l rorolu up hi. ho^o, aud look h„k. oach 

‘‘?:r;iu|'“'lho'"^rnpp" -‘I* 

“ Is there still a danger ?” , ^ i Rnnes thn*^ 

“ I am sorry to answer you in tho affirmative, said ho . pe 

the wind might be the other way.” _ 

“ Wind, sir? There is none- that I can perceive. too— direct 

“ Not here Yonder it is blowing a hurricane, and this way tfK>-^lTWt. 
By heuUn. l' it U Suarlag u. rupidi, 1 1 doubt it wo .haii bo abio to cioat 

Wbl‘l ^ douo 1" oiciaimod tho phmtor, torriBod by tho Kutounc*. 

ment. . , . t av> 

“ Are your mules doing their best 7 

•' They are : they could not bo driven faster. 

" I fear we shall be too late, then !” . . . i ^ 

As the speaker gave utterance to this gloomy conjecture, he 
once raore^ and sat regarding the cloud wiumns— os if calculating tho rate 

wffi?wtinr«oIl^ bis lips, told of something more than dis- 

aatisffiaion.^ late I” he exclaimed, suddenly terminating his serntiny. 
“They are moving faster than we— far faster. There is no hope of our 

*^^ulK§G^8irl is tho danger so groat? Can wo do nothmg to avoid 

‘^Thc stranger did not make immediate reply. For some seconds he re- 
mained silent, a.s if reflecting— his glance no longer turned towards the sky, 

*'"^7t£?nrcC"^ tbo planter, with the impatience 

lucre f w « Tht^rn u a e/tanee Ididnotlhinkofitbe- 

had at length suggested itsell. i nero « « i 

fore. We cannot shun the storm— the danger we may. Quick, Mr. ^in- 
dexterl Order your men to muffle the mules — tho horses too ^ther 
the^nimals will blinded, and go mad. Blankets-cloaks-any thing will 
do When that’s done, let all seek shelter within the wagi^ns. Let the 
tilts ^Sed at the ends. I shall myself look to the traveling cam.^ 
Ha^ng delivered this chapter of instructions— which Poindexter, assisted 





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bj tho orcrsecra hastenr;d to direct the execution oi— the younff liorsemna 
galloped towards the front. 

“ Madame I” said he, reining up alongside the carriole, and speaking with 
f.s much suavity as the circumstance would admit of, “you must close the 
curtains all round. Your coachman will Imve to get inside; aud you, gen- 
tlemen I" he continued, addressing himself to Henry and Calhoun—’" and 
> you, sir;” to Poindexter who had just come up. “ There will bo room for 
all. Inside, I beseech you I Lose no time. In a few seconds the storm will 
be u|ion us 1” 

“And you, sir?” inquired the planter, with a show of interest in the man 
’ wlio was making such exertions to secure them against some yet unascer- 
' tained danger. “ What of your.self ?” 

“ Don’t waste a moment upon me. I know what’s coming. It isn’t the 
first time I have encountered it. In— in, I entreat you I You haven’t a 

j second to spare. Listen to that shriek I Quick, or the dust-cloud will be 
t around us!” 

[ The planter and his son sprang together to t’ue ground ; and retreated 
Into the travelling carriage. 

Calhoun, refusing to dismount, remained stiffly seated in his saddle. Why 
) should ^ skulk from a visionary danger, that did not deter a man in Moxi- 
can garb ? 

, The latter turned away ; as he did so, directing the overseer to get inside 
the nearest wagon — a direction which was obeyed with alacrity — and, for 
, the first time, the stranger was left fri** to take care of himself. 

Quickly unfolding his jer^pe- hitherto strapped across the cantle of hla 
saddle — he flung it over the hf'ad of his horse. Then tlrawing the edge# 

I back, ho fastened it, bag fashion, around the animal’s neck. With equal 
) a.eriness he undid his rcarf of China crape; and stretched it around his 
, sombrero— fixing it in such a way, that one edge was held under the bullion 
j band, while the other dropped down over the brim — thus forming a silken 
I visor for his face. 

, Before finally closing it, he turned once more towards the carriole ; and, 

/ to his surprise, saw Calhoun still in the saddle. Humanity triumphed over 
a feeling of incipient aversion. 

“ Once again, sir, I a ’jure you to get inside! If you do not vou’ll have 
cause to repent it. Within ton minutes’ time, you nay be a dead man !” 

The positive emphasis with which the caution was delivered produced its 
effecl. In the prtisence of mortal foeman, Cassius (’alhoun was no coward. 

! .But there was an enemy approaching t! at was not mortal — not in any way 
understood. It was already making itself manifest, in tones that resembled 
thunder — in shadows that mocked the darkness of midnight. Who would 
not have felt fear at the uppro.icii of a destroyer so declaring itself?- 
The ex-officer was unable to resist the united warnings of earth and 
heaven ; and, slipping out of his saddle wiih a show of reluctance— intend- 
ed to save appearances — he clambered into the carriage, and ensconced him- 
self behind the closely drawn curtains. 

***** * • 

To describe what followed is l)eyond the power of the pen. No eye be- 
I held the si>ectacle : for none dared look m)on it. Even had this been posat- 


THE HEADLES.S HORSEMAN. 


2-3 


ole, nothing could have been seen. In five minutes after the muffling of the 
mules, the train wa.-i envelo|)cd in worse than Cimmeri.''n darkness. 

'fho o{)oning scene can aloue be depicted ; for that only was observed by 
♦.ho travellers. One of the sable columns, moving in the advance, broke ns 
it came in collision with the waggon-tilts. Down came a shower of black 
dust, as if the sky had commenced raining guniwwder ! It was a foretaste 
of what was to follow. 

There was a short interval of open atmo6])here— hot ns the inside of an 
oven. Then succeeded pulTs, and whirling gusts, of wind — cold as if pro 
'jected from caves of ice, and accomjianied by a noise as though all the 
trumpets of Eol us were announcing the advent of astorm-King! 

In another instant the norther was around them ; aud the waggon train, ^ 
halted on a subtropical plain, was enveloped in an atmosphere, akin to that 
which conceals the icebergs of the Arctic Ocean ! 

Nothing more was seen — nothing heard, save the whistling of the wind, 
or its hoarse roaring, as it thundered against the tilts of the waggons. Tho 
mules having instinctively turned stern towards it, bukkI silent in their 
tr ic/>3 ; and tho voices of the travellers, in solemn converse inside, could 
not be distinguished amid the howling of tho hurricane. 

Every aperture had betm closed for it was soon discovered, that to show 
a face from under the sheltery canvas was to court suffocation. The air 
was surcharged with ashes, lifted aloft from the burnt plain, and reduced 
by tho whirling of the wind, to an impalpable but jKiisonous powder. 

For over an hour did tho atmosphere carry this cinereous cloud ; during 
which period lasted tho imprisonment of the travellers. 

At length a voice, siieaking close by the curtains of tho carriole, an- / 
nounced their release. j 

“ You can coao forth 1” said the stranger, the crape scarf thrown back [ 
above tho brim of his hat. “ You will still have the storm to contend , 
against. It will last to tho end of your journey ; and, perhat>s, for three ^ 
days longer. But you have nothing further to fear. 'The ashes are all 
swept off They’ve gone before you, and you’re not likely to overtake theiu , , 
this side the Rio Grande.” d 

“ Sir!” said tho planter, hastily descending tho stops of the carriage, “ wo 
have to thank you for — for ” 

“ For our lives, father !” cried Henry, supplying the proper words. “ I hope 


( 


sir, you will favour us with your name?” 

“ Mnurice Gerald returned tho stranger ; " though at tho Fort you will 
^nd me better known os Maurice the mustanger." 

“ A mastangor !” scornfully muttered Calhoun, but only loud enough to 
6e heard by Ix)uiBe. 

“Only a mustanger!” reflected the aristocratic Poindexter, tho fervour 
of his gratitude becoming sensibly chilled. 

“ For guide, you will no longer need either myself, or my lazo,” said tho 
hunter of wild horses. “The cypress is in sight: kinip straight towanls it. 
After crossing, you will see tho flag over the Fort. You may yet reach 
your journey’s end before night. I have no time to tarry ; and must say 
adiou.” 

Satan himself, astride a Tartarean steed, could not have looked more like 


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THE HEADLESS HOUSEMAN. 


'JS 


the dcTil than did Maurice the Muatanger, aa he separated for the Bocoad 
time from the planter and his party. 

But neitlier his asliy envelope, nor the announcement of his humble call- 
ing, did aught to damage him in the estimation of one, whoso thoughts were 
already predi8jK)8cd in his favour — Louise Poindexter. 

Oh hearing him declare his name — by pre8unn)tion already kno^vn to her 
— she but more tenderly cherishefl the bit of canllward, chafing against her 
snow-white bosom; at the same time muttering in soft jxjnsivc soliloquy, 
heard only by herself : — 

“ Maurice the raustanger I despite your sooty covering — despite your mod- 
est pretence — you have touched the heart of a Creole maiden. Jfon 
iwn ditu ! Jit u tco likt Lucifer for me to deepite him /” 


CHAPTER V. 

niE HOVE OF THE HORSE-IItmTEIU 

Whetie the Rio de Kueets (River of Nuts) collects its waters from a hundred 
tributary streams — lining the map like the limbs of a grand genealogical 
tree — you may look upon a land of surpassing fairiu‘83. Its surface is “ roll, 
ing prairie," interspersed with clumps of post-oak and jK-can, here and there 
I’.ong the banks of the watercourses uniting into continuous groves. 

In s<mio places these timbered tr;icts assume the as])ect of the true chap- 
var I — a thicket, rather than a forest — its principal growth being various 
kinfis oi acacia, associated with copaiva and creosote trees, with wild aloes, 
w.;). ecamtric shajx^s of cereus, cactus, and arborescent yucca. 

These spinous forms of vegetation, though repulsive to the eye of the 
agriculturist — as proving the utter sterility of the soil — present an attractive 
asjKiCt to the botanist, or the lover of Nature ; especially when the cereus 
unfolds its huge wax-liko blossom, or the Fouquiera tplendcns overtojis the 
surrounding shrubbery with its s{)iku of replendent flowers, like a red flag 
hanging unfolded along its BtafiT. 

Tile whole region, however, is not of this character. There are stretches 
of greater fertility ; where a black ca’ areous earth gives nourishment to 
trees of taller growth, and more luxuriant foliage. The “ wild China” — a 
true eapindal — the pecan, the elm, the hackberry, and the oak of several sih)- 
fics — with hero and there a cypress or cottonwood — form the components 
of many a sylvan scene, which, from the blending of their leaves of various 
shades of green, and the ever changing contour of their clumps, deserves 
to l>e denominated fair. 

The streams of this region are of crystal purity — their waters tinted only 
by the reflection of sapphire skies. Its sun, moon, and stars are scarcely 
ever concealed behind a cloud. The demon of disease has not found his 
way into tiiis salubrious spot : no epidemic can dwell within its borders. 

Despite these advantages, civilized man has not yet made it his homa 
Its paths are trodden only by the red-skinned rovers of the prairie — Lipano 
or Comanche — and these only when mounted, and upon the maraud toward 
tho settlements of the Lower Nueces, or Leona. 


THE HEADLESS HOReEJdAK. 


23 


It may Iw on this account — though it would almost seem ns if they were 
actuated by a love of tho beautiful and picturesciuo — that tho true children of 
Nature, tho wild animals, have selected this spot as their favourite habitat 
and home. In no part of Texas does tho stag bound up so often before you ; 
and nowhere is tho timid antelope so frequently seen. Tho rabbit, and his 
gigantic cousin, tho mulo-rabbit, are scarcely ever out of eight ; while the 
]H)Iccat, the opiissum, and tho ctirious peccary, are encoimtored at frequent 
intervals. 

Birds, too, of beautiful forms and colours, enliven the landscape. The 
quail whirrs up from the path ; tho king vulture wheels in the ambient air ; 
tho wild turkey, of gigantic stature, suns his resplendent gorget by the side 
of tho js^can copse ; and the singular tailor-bird — known among the rude 
Ibmgers as the “bird of paradise” — flouts his long scissors-like tail among 
the feathery fronds of the acacia. 

Beautiful butterflies spread their wide wings In flapping flight ; or, 
is'rclu-d uixm some gay corolla, look as if they formed part of tho flower. 
Huge bees {Mclipunw), clad in velvet liveries, buzz among the blossoming 
bushes, disputing j>ossession with hawkmotlis and humming-birds not much 
larger than themselves. 

They are not all innocent, the denizens of this lovely land. Hero the 
rattlesnake attains to larger dimensions than in any other part of North 
America, and shares the covert w ith the more dangerous moccatin. Hero, 
too, the tarantula inflicts its venomous sting ; tho scorpion j)oiBon8 with iti 
bite ; and tho centipede, by simply crawling over the skin, causes a fover 
that may prove fatal I 

Along the wooded banks of the streams may be encountered tho spotted 
ocelot, the puma, and their more powerful congener, tho jaguar: tho last of 
thesis /c/iVto being hero upon the northern limit of its geographical range. 

Along the edges of tho chapparal skulks the gaunt Texan wolf — solitari- 
ly and in silence ; wliilo a kindred and more cowardly species, tho coyote, 
may be observed, far out ujjon the open jdain, hunting in jmeks. 

Sharing the same range with these, the most truculent of quadrupeds, 
may be seen tho noblest and most beautiful of animals — perhaps nobler and 
more beautiful than man — certainly tho most distinguished of man’s com- 
panions — the horse ! 

Hert'— indejiendont of man’s caprice, his jaw unchecked by bitt or curl), 
his back unscathed by pack or saddle— ho roams unrestrained ; giving way 
to all tho wildness of his nature. 

But even in this, his favourite haunt, he is not always left alone. Man 
presumes to be his pursuer and tamer : for here was he sought, capture*!, 
and conquered, by Maurice the Muttanger. 


On the banks of tho Alamo— ono of tho most sparkling streamlets that 
pay tribute to the Nueces — stood a dwelling, onpretentious as any to b« 
*t)und within the limits of Texas, and certainly as picturesque 
Its walls were composed of split trunks of tho arborescent yucca, set 
strickade-fashion in the ground ; while its'roof was a thatch famished by 
the long l)ayonet-8b8ped leaves of the same gigantic lily. 

The interstices between the uprights, instead of being “ chinked” wltk 


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THK HEADLESS HORBEMAX. 


«lay — as is common in the cal)in8 of Western Texas — were covertni Viy a 
shoetin^ of horse-skins ; attached, not by iron tacks, but with the sharp 
spines that terminate the Jeaves of the pita plant. 

On the bluffs, that on both sidtis overlooked the rivulet — and which were 
but the termination of the escarpment of the higher plain — grew in abund- 
ance the material out of which the hut had been constructf^ ; tree yuccas 
and magucys, amidst other rugged types of sterile vegetation ; whereas the 
fertile valley below was •overed with a growth of heavy timber — consisting 
chiefly of n'd-mulberry, post-oak, and j)ec4in, that formed a forest of several 
leagues in length The timbered tract was, in fact, conterminous with tho 
‘ bottom lamls ; tho tops of the trees scarce rising to a level with the escarp- 
ment of the cliff. 

It was not continuous Along tho edge of the streamlet were breaks — - 
forming little meads, or savannahs, covered with that most nutricious of 
grassc's, known among Mexicans as grama 

In the concavity of one of these, of semicircular shape — which served as a 
natunal lawn — stootl the i>rimitivo dwelling above described ; tho streamlet 
re[)re8enting tho chord; while the curve was traced by tho trunks of tho 
trees, that resomblcd a series of columns supiKjrting the roof of some sylvan 

* coliseum. 

} The structure was in shadow, a little retired among tho trees ; as if tlio 
' site had been chosen with a view to C/oncealment. It could have been seen 
but by one passing along the bank of tho stream ; and then only with tho 
! ob.-<erver directly in front of it. Its rude style of architoctoro, and russet 
hue, contributed still further to its incon»pM(ousnets 
( Tho house was a mere cabin — not larger than a marquoo tent — with only 
\ a .single ajK-rture, tho door — if we exceitt the flue of a slender clay chimney 
I erected at one end against the upright i)osts Tlw doorway had a door, a 
[ light framework of w<M)d, with a horse-skin stretched over it, and hung 

• upon hinges cut from the same hide. 

' In the rear was an ojien shed, thatched with yucca leaves, and supjwrted 
by half a dozen posts. Around this was a small enclosure, obtained by ty- 
1 iug cross poles to tho trunks of the adjacent trees. 

' A still more extensive enclosure, containing, within its circumfcrenco 
more than an acre of tho timlwred tract, and fenced in a similar manner, 
extended rearward from the cabin, terminating against the bluff. Its turf 
trackial and torn by numerous hoof-prints — in some places trampled into a 
hard surface — told of its u.se ; a “ corral” for wild horses — miulangt. 

This w.is made still more manifest by tho presence of a dozen or more of 
these animals within tho enclosure; whoso glaring eyeballs, and excited 
actions, gave evidence of their recmit capture, and how ill they brooked tho 
imprisonment of that shadowy ])addock. 

The interior of the hut was not without some show of neatness and com- 
fort. Tho sheeting of mustang-skins that covered the walls, with the hairy 
side turned inward, presented no mean appearance. The smooth shining 
coats of all colours — black, bay, snow-white, sorrel, and skewbald — offered 
1 to tho eye a surface pleasantly vari<!gated ; and there had evidently been 
; some taste displayed in their arrangement. 

' The furniture was of the ecantiest kind. It consisted of a counterfeit 
! samp bedstead, forme<i by stretching a horse-hide over a framework, for set 


THB HEADLESS HORBEMAX. 


31 


ties ; a couple of tools— diminutive specimens on the same model ; and « 
rude table, shaped out of hewn slabs of the yucca-tree. Something like a 
second sleeping place appt'artd in a remote corner — a " shakedown, or 
“spread,’’ of the universal mustang-skin. j 

What was least to be; exjH'Cted in such a place, was a shelf containing 
alsuit a score of books, with pens, ink, and papcUrie ; also a newspaiier ly- I 
ing upon the slab table. 

Further proofs of civilization, if not refinement, presenti-il themselves in ' 
the shaiHJ of a large leathern ixirtmanteau, a doubled-barrelh“<l gun, with 1 
“ Westley Uichards” uixm tho breech ; a drinking cup of chased silver, a 
huntsman’s horn, and a dog-call. 

Utxm the floor were a few culinary utensils, mostly of tin ; while in one 
cornce stoixl a demijohn, covered with wicker, and evidently cont.aining 
something stronger than the water of tho Alamo. 

Other “ chattels” in the cabin were perhaps more in keeping with tho j 
place. There was a high-jx'aked Mexican saddle ; a bridle, with headstall t 
of plaited horsehair, and reins to correspond ; two or three spare seraprs, , 
and some odds and ends of raw hide rope. , 

Such was the structure of the niustaiiger's dwelling — such its surround. ■ 
ings — such its interior and contents, with the exce] tion of its living occu f 
pants — two in number. ' 

On one of the stools standing in tho centre of tho floor was seated a man, 1 

who could not be the mustanger himself. In no way <lid he prt-sent the 
semblance of a proprietor. On tlie contrary, Iho air of a servitor — the mien i 
of habitual obedience — was impressed uixm him beyond the chance of mis- j 
construction. 

Uude ns w,as tho cabin that sheltered him. no one entering under its roof ‘ 
would have mistaken him for its master. I 

Not that ho api>eared ill cla<l or fed, or in any way stintml in his r»>quire- 
ments. lie was a round plump spi-cimen, with a shock of carrot-coloured ; 
iiair and a bright ruddy skin, habiu-d in a suit of stout stuff— half corduroy 
half cotton-velvet. The corduroy was in the shaiio of a ]iair of kn»!e.- 
breeches, with gaiters to corresixm.l ; the velveteen, once liottle gn-en, now | 
faded to a brownish hue, exhibited itself in a sort of shooting coat, with 
ample pockets in tho breast and skirts. 

A " wide-awake” hat, cocked over a pair of eyes equally desiTving the 
appellation, completed the costume of tho individual in (juestion — if we ex 
cept a shirt of coarse calico. A ro<l cotton kerchief loosely knotted around 
his neck, and a pair of Irish hrogua upon his feet. 

It necnled neither tho brogues, nor the corduroy breeches, to proclaim ins 
nationality. His lips, nose, eyes, air, and altitude, were all unmistakably 
Milesian. ! 

Had there been any ambiguity about this, it would have lHH?n dispelled ^ 

as he oixmed his mouth for tlie emission of speech ; and this he at intervals | 
did, in accent that could only have been acquinal in the shire of (lalway. | 
As h© was the sole human occupant of the cabin, it might Ixi supposed that 
he spoke only in soliloquy. Not so, however. Couched upon a pi(“co of 
horse-skin, in front of the fire, with snout half buried among tho nsh(*8, was I 
a canine companion, whose appearance be8ix)ke a countiyman — a huge Irish 
staghoond, that looked as if lie too understood the speech of Connemara. j 





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mi? HKAHLRflS HORBKMkK. 


Whether ho did so or not, it was addrcsflcd to hfm, m If 1 m was expottod 
to comprehend every word. 

“Och, Tara, mo jewell” exclaimed he in tho cordnroys, fraternally Inter 
rotating the hound ; “ hadn’t yez weesh now to Iw back in BaUyballagh 
Wadn’t yez loike to bo wanco moro in the coortyard av the owld castle, 
friskin’ over tho clane stones, an’ Ix-in triiK>-f('d til thero wasn’t a rib to bo 
6(X'n in your sides — so diflTerent from what they arr now — wan I kyan count 
ivory wan av them ? Sowl I it’s meself that ud loike to bo there! anyhowl 
Bud there’s no knowin’ when tho young masthor ’ll go back, an’ take us 
along wid him. Niver mind, Tara I lie’s goin’ to the Sittlements soon, yo 
owld dog; an’ ho’s promised to tako us tharo ; that’s somo consolashun. 
Be japers ! it’s over three months since I’vo l)oen to tho Fort, meself 
Maybe I’ll find some owld acquaintance among them Irish sralgers that’* 
como lately ; an’ bo mo sowl, av I do, won’t thero l>o a dhrap betwane us — 
won’t there, Tara T" 

The staghound, raising his head at hearing the mention of his name 
gave a slight sniff, as if saying “ Yes” in answer to the droU interrogatory. 

“ I'd like a dhrap now,” continued the speaker, casting a covetous glanca 
towards tho wickered jar ; "mightily I wud that same ; but the dimmyjan 
is too near bein empty, an’ the young mnsthrr might miss it. Besides, it 
wadn’t be raal honest av me to take it widout lave — wud it, Tara ’f" 

The dog again raised hie head above tho ashes, and sneezed as before. 

“ Why, that was yw, the last time ye spoke I Did yez mane it for Ihs 
same now ? Till me, Tara 1” 

Once moro tho hound gave uttomneo to the sound — that appeared to be 
. caused either by a slight touch of influenza, or the ashes having entered hia 
nostrils. 

“ • Yis’ again ? In trath that’s just fwhat the dumb crayther manes I 
Don’t timpt me, yo owld thief 1 No — no ; I won’t touch the whisky I’ll 
only draw the cork out av the dimmyjan, an’ take a smell at it. Shure tho 
masthcr won’t know anything about that ; an’ if he did, he wudn’t mind it I 
Smollin’ kyant do the pothyeen any harm.” 

During tho concluding portion of this utterance, the speaker had forsaken 
his seat, and approached tho corner where stood the jar. 

Notwithstanding the professed innocence of his intent, thero was a stealthi- 
ness about his movements, that seemed to arguo either a want of confidence 
in his own integrity, or in his power to resist temptation. 

He stood for a short while listening— his eyes turned towards the open 
doorway ; and then, taking np the demijohn, he drew out tho stopper, and 
held the neck to his nose. 

For somo seconds ho remained in this attitude : giving out no other sign 
than an occasional “sniff,” similar to that uttered by the hound, and which 
ho had been fain to interpret as an affirmative answer to hie interrogatory. 
It expressed tlie enjoyment ho was deriving from the bouquet of the potent 
spirit. 

But this only satisfied him for a very short time ; and gradually the bob 
tom of the jar was seen going upwards, while the reverse end descended in 
hko ratio in the direction of his pretmding lips. 

"Be jnpers!" he exclaimed, once more glancing stealthily towards the 
door, " flesh and blood endn't stand the smell av that bewtiful whiskey, 


THK HEADLESS HORSEMAK. 


33 


widout tastin’ it. Trath I I’ll chance it — ji.st tho smallest thrifle to wet the 
tap av my tongue. Maybe it ’ll burn tho skin av it ; but no matthor — hero 
goes I” i 

Without further ado the neck of tho demijohn was brought in contact f 
with his lips ; but instead of the " smallest thrillc” to wet tho top of his 
tongue, the “gluck — gluck” of tho esavping fluid told that he was admin- \ 
istering a copious saturation to the whole lining of his larynx, and some- ' 
thing moro. i 

After half a dozen “ smacks” of tho mouth, with other exclamations do- I 
noting supremo satisfaction, ho hastily restored tho 8toi>jter : returned tho 1 
demijohn to its ]>laco ; and glided back to his seat upon tho 8to«)l. j 

“Tara, yo owld thief!” said ht', addressing himself onco moro to his ca- ! 
nine companion, “ it was you that timpted me I No matthor, man : the 
masther ’ll niver miss it : besides, he’s goin’ soon to the Fort, an’ can lay 
in a fresh supply'.” 

For a time the pilferer remained silent : either reflecting t)n tho act ho 
had committed, or enjoying the effects which tho " pothoen” had produced 1 
upon his spirits. 

His silence was of short duration, and was terminated by a soliloqtty. 

“ I wondher,” muttered he, “ fwhat makes Masther Maurice so anxious to C 
get back to the Sittlements. Ho says he’ll go whoniver ho catches tliat ' 
spotty mustang he has seen lately. Sowl I isn’t he bad afther that baste ! r 
I suppose it must be somethin’ beyant tho common — the moro bo token, as f 
he has chased tho craythur three times wdout bein’ able to throw hi.^.^ 
rojHJ over it — an’ mounted on tho blood-bay, too. Ho sez ho won’t give i'. 
up, till he gets howlt of it. Truth ! I hoj>o it’ll bo grupped soon, or we^ 
may stay here till tho marnin’ av doomsday. Hush fwhat’s that f” 

Tara springing up from his couch of skin, and rushing out with a low 1 
growl, had caused the exclamation. 

" Phelim!” hailed a voice from tho outside. "Pholim!” 

" It’s the masther,” muttered Phelim, as he Jumped from hU atool, and 
followed the dog through the doorway. 


CHAPTER VI, 

THB SPOTTED MU8TANO. 

PHEi.m was not mistaken as to tho voice tliut had hailed him. It wm that 
of his master, Maurice Gerald. 

On getting outside, ho saw the mmstanger at a short distanoo fren. the 
door, and advancing towards it. 

As tho servant should have expected, his master was mounted upon his 
horse — no longer of a reddish colour, but appearing almost black. The 
animal’s coat was darkened with sweat; its counter and flanks speckled 
with foam. 

Tho blood-bay was not alone. At the end of the lazo — drawn taut from 
the saddle tree — was a companion, or, to speak more acurately, a cr.pt.ve. 
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TUB HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


llio l).irs .)f its mouth, kept in ])lac<! l.y anotluT passing over its neck imme- 
diulcly ixOiinil tlio ears, was tlie captivt; secured. 

It was a mustang of jieculiar ajUM-aranc^i.ns regarded its markings ; which 
wtTC of a kind ran ly wen — (!Vi‘n among the largest “gangs” that roam 
over tlio prairie pastures, where colouni of tlie most eccentric patterns are 
not uncommon. 

That of the animal in question was a ground of dark chocolate — in places 
approaching to black — with white siwits distributed over it, as regularly as 
till! amtrary colours upon the skin of the jaguar. 

! As if to give efl'oet to this pleasing arrangement of hues, the creature was 
of perfect sha[K! — broad chested, full in the Hanks, and clean limbed — with 
' a hiK)f showing half a score of concentric rings, and a head that might have 
been taken as a type of equine beauty. It was of largo size for a mustang, 
though much smaller than the ordinary Knglish horse ; even smaller than 
the bl(KHl-bay — himself a mustang — that had assisted in its cajiture. 

1 The beautiful captive was a mare — oni* of a mannda that frequented the 
plains near the source of the Alamo; and where, for the third time, the 
muslanger had unsuccessfully chased it. 

In his case the proverb had jirovwl untrue. In the third time ho hail not 
V found tlie “charm though it favoured him in the fourth. Ily the fascina- 
) tion of a long rojK!, with a running nixise at its end, ho had secured the 
^ creature that, for some reason known only to himself, ho so ardently wished 
\ to jMis.sess. 

' Phelim had never seen his master return from a horse-hunting excursion 
In such a state of excitement ; even when coming back — as ho often did — 
with half a dozen mustangs led loosely at the eml of his lazo. 

But never liofore at the emd of that implement had I’helim beheld such a 
j I)oauty as the si>otted marc. Sho was a thing to excite the admiration of 
one hVs a connoisseur in horse-flesh than the ci-devatU stable-lwy of Castle 
, Ballagh. 

“ liiKKh — hooji — hoora 1" cried he, as ho set eyes ujton the captive, at the 
i same time tossing his hat high into the air. “ Thanks to the Ilowly Vargin 

, an’ Siaint Pathrick to l)»K)t, Masther Maurice, yez have cotched the siHjtty 

) at last 1 It’s a mare, be ja|H‘rs ! Och ! the purty craythur I I don’t won- 

dher yez hev Ix-eii so bad about getting howlt av her, Sowl I if yez had 
I her in BallinaslfM^ Fair, y<-z might ask your own price, and get it too, widout 
givin’ sixixmce av luckpenny. Oh ! the purty crather ! Where will yez hiv 
i her jdiut, masthur? Into the corral, wid the others?” 

“ No, sho mi'dit got kicked among them. Wo shall tie her in the shed. 
Castro must i>a^s his night outside among the trees. If he’s got any gal- 
lantry in him he won’t mind that. Did you ever see anything so beautiful 
1 as she is, Phelim— I mean in the way of horseflesh ?” 

“ Niver, Masther Maurice; niver, in all my life I An’ I’ve seen some 
! nice bits av blocal about Ballyballngh. Oh, the i>urty crayther 1 she looks 
ns if a Ixidy cud ate her ; and yit, in trath, sho looks like she wud ate you. 
Yez have’nt given her the schoolin’ lesson, have yez?” 

" No, P'nelira : I don’t want to break her just yet — not till I have tlme^ 
and san do it properly. It would never do to spoil such perfection as that 
I shall tame her, after we’ve taken her to the Settlements.’' 

“ Yez bo goin’ there, masther ?” 


the headles»k horseman. 


3i» 


“To-morrow. We shall start by daybn'ak, so as to make only one day , 

kiitween hero ^ ^le own account, but yours, Masther . 

the whisky’s on the idge of bein’ ; 

out? hrorn tljfj tie av tlm jar, 

naggms left. 1 hi m suii , • , ^ ,von’t Ixar a dhrap more , 

inizyuro ; -rath ! a gallon av Innishowen wud last ayqual . 

out av the strame hare. 1 ratn l a , themselves christen it.” 1 

to three av this Amerikin rotffu^ J there’s eiieugli to : 

i&k. ■ iGl 

. k„o« >o„ nu i 

belter than anytbmg else— except with a comical i 

.,;r kis'rri: out of , 

saddle. ,•**** ' 

» * « * * 


N„l«i.h,l.n.lin8 that ( 

three in constant pursuit of t fl^K) ^d marc f^-el 

edge of the existence of t^*®. the Fort that the “yegua 

It was several days after his last , mustangor. That there- 

piiita" had first presented hersidf to the ej e 

fore could not bo the cause of instead of tranquiling his 

Ilis success in having secured the ® At least, so thought 

spirit, seemed to have pr^u^ the con ? known as “fosier- 

Phelim; who-with the freedom of that to the 

brother”-had at length determined on questioning Jus maev 

cau.se of hU inquietude. , saluted with the inter- 

As the latter lay shifting from side to side. Ho was saiu 

rogatory, — 



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36 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 




“ Mast'jor Maurice, fwhnt in tlio name of the Ilowljr Varcrin, is the mat 
then wid ye ?” 

'• Nothing, Phelim — nothing, mabohil ! What makes you think there 
Is ?” 

j “Alanmh! IIow kyan 1 help thinkin’ it I Yez kyant get a wink av 
shHjp ; niver wnce yo returned the last time from the Sittlcment. Och I yez 
hiv seen somethin’ there that kiipes ye awake ? Shure now, it isn’t wan 
i av them Mixikin girls — mowchachn$, as they call them? No, I won’t believe 
it. You wudn’t bo wan av the owld (ieralds to care for such trash as 
' them.” 

; “ Nonsense, my good fellow 1 There’s nothing the matter with me. It’s 

all your own imagination.” 

” Trath, masther, yez arr mistaken. If there’s anything asthray wid me 
imaginashun, fhwat is it that’s gone wTong wid your own 7 That is, whin 
vez arr aslape — which aren't often av lute.” 

" When I’m asleep ! What Jo you mean, Phelim ?” 

" What div I mane? Fbay, that wheniver yez close your eyes an’ think 
, /ez are sleepin’, ye begin palaverin’, ns if a preast was confessin’ ye 1” 

“ Ah! Is that so ? What have you heard me say ?” 

1 " Not much, masther, that 1 cud make sinse out av. Tez bo always tryin, 

/ to pronounce a big name that ai)pare8 to have no Lndiu’, though it begins 
wid a point " 

" A name ! What name?” 

. " Sowl ! I kyan’t till ye exakly. It’s too long for mo to remimber, scein' 

that my odicashun was intirely neglicted. But there’s another name that 
(j_/yez phut before it; an’ that I kyan tell yo. It’s a wuman’s name, though 
I it’s not common in the owld counthry. It’s Looazo that yo say, Masther 
I Maurice; and then comes the point." 

" Ah!” interrupted tho young Irishman, evidently not caring to converse 
I longer on the subject. “ Some name I may have heard — somewhere, accU 
dentically. One (loes have such strange ideas in dreams !” 

I '* Trath ! yez sp.iko tho truth there; for in your drames, masther, ye talk 
about a purty girl lookin’ out av a carriage wid curtains to it, an’ tellin’ her 
to clo.so them agaynst some danger that yez arc going to save her from.” 

I “ I wondtir what puts such nonsense into my head V' 

“ I wondher meself,” rejoined Phelim, fixing his eyes upon his young 
' master with a stealthy but scrutinizing look, “ Shure,” he continu^, “if 
I may make bowld to ax the quistyun — shnre, Masther Maurice, yez haven’t 
been makin’ a Judy Fitzsumraon’s mother av yerself, an’ failin’ in love wid 
i wan of these Yankee weemen out hare? Och an an-ee! that wud bo a 
misforthuno ; an’ fliwat wud she say — tho purty colleen wid the goodlen 
hair an’ blue eyes, that lives not twinty miles from Ballyballagh ?” 

' *' Poh, poh! Phelim 1 you’re taking leave of your senses, I fear.” 

“ Trath, masther, I aren’t ; but I know somethin’ I wud like to take lave 
av.” 

“ What is that ? Not mo, I hope ?” 

I “ You, alannah f Niver ! It’s Tixas I mane. I’d like to take lave of 
i that ; an’ you goin’ along wid mo back to tho owld sad. Arrah, now, fwhat’a 
j the use av yer stayin’ here, wastin’ the Ijest part av yer days in doin’ noth- 
j In’ ? Shure yez don’t make more than a bare liWn’ by the horse-cntchin' ; 


1 

i 


THE HEADLESS HOUSEMAN. 




aa’ If yez did, what mathers it? Yer owld aunt at Castle Ballagh can’t 
howld out much longer; and when she’s did, the bewtiful demano ’ll bo «: 
yours, spite av tho dhirty way she’s thratin’ ye. Shure the proi^rty’s got a jj 
tail to it : an’ not a mother’s son av them can kape ye out av it!” f! 

“Ila! ha! ha!” laughed tho young Irishman: “you’re quite a lawver, 
Phelim. What a first-rate attorney you’d have madel But cornel You 
forget that I haven’t tasted food since morning. What have you got in tho 
laruer ?” . . . , . l 

“ Truth ! thdre’s no great stock, masther. Yez haven’t laid in anythin’ j 
for tho three days yez hcv been afther sjaUty. There’s only the cold ven- ' 
ison an’ tho corn-bread. If yez like I’ll phut tho venison in tho pat, an’ 
make a hash av it.” 

“ Yes, do so. I can wait.” 

“ Won’t yez wait betther afther tastin’ a dhrap av tho craythor?” I 

“ True — let mo have it.” i 

“ Will yez take it nato, or with a little wathor? Trath 1 tt won’t carry i 
much av that same.” i 

“ A glass of grog — draw tho water fresh from the stream.” | 

Phelim look Bold of tho silver drinking cup, and was about stopping out- ! 
side, when a growl from Tara, accompanied by a start, and followed by a 
rush across the floor, caused tho servitor to approach the door with a certain | 
degree of caution. ‘ 

Tho barking of the dog soon subsided into a scries of joyful whimpering’s / 
which told that he had been gratified by tho sight of some old acquaint-/ 
ance. / 

“ It’s owld Zeb Stump,” said Phelim, first pt>cping out, and then steppinff 
bfddly forth — with tlio double design of greeting tho now comer, and exo-^ 
cuting the order ho had received from his master. 

Tho individual, who had thus freely presented himself in front of the 
mnstanger’s cabin, was as unlike either of its occupants, as one from tho 
other. \ 

lie stood full six feet high, in a pair of tall boots, fabricated out of tanned • 
alligator-skin ; into tho ample tops of which were thrust tho buttons of his 
pantaloons — the latter being of woollen homespun, that had been dyed with ' 

“ dog-wood ooze,” but was now of a simple dirt colour, A deerskin under } 

shirt, without any other, covorotl his'breast and shoulders ; over whicli was j 

a “ blanket coat” that had once l)oen green, long since gone to a greenish i 

yellow, with most of tho wool wore oft 

Thejo was no other garment to be seen : a slouch felt hat, of greyish col- , 
our, badly battered, completing the simple, and somewhat scant, collection 
of wanlrobc. 

lie was e<]uippcd in tho stylo of a backwoods hunter, of tho true Daniel » 
Boone breed : bullet-pouch, and largo crescent-shaped powder-horn, both 
BUBjMjnded by shoulder-straps, hanging under tho right arm ; a waist-belt of . 
thick leather keeping his coat clost^d and sustaining a skin sheath, from 
which protruded tho rough staghorn handle of a lon^-bladed knife. 

He did not afTect cither moci\s8in8, leggings, nor tlio fringed and caped | 
and fringed tunic shirt of dressed dee^^kin worn by most Texan hunkers. 
There was no embroidery upon his coai’se clothing, no carving upon his j 
accoutrements or weai>ons, nothing in his font emeinhU intended as ornament | 





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TlIS Ill^.VJlLKSS MOUSikMAX. 


r 3S 

( al. Everythin" was plain almost to rudeness ; as if dictated by a spirit that 
despised “ fanfi'.ron.” 

■ Even the ride, his reliable weaiKin — the chief tool of his trade — hwked 
! like a rounded bar of iron, witli a j'iecc of brown unpolished wood at the 
end, formiii" its stock , stork and barrel, when the butt rested on the 
ground, reacliin" u]) to tho level of his shoulder. 

The individual thus clothed and equipped was apparently aliout fifty 
years of age, with a complexion inclining to dark, and featuR^s that, at fir.si 
1 sight, exhibited a grav«! aspect. 

1 On close scrutiny, however, could bo detected an underlying stratum of 
quiet humour; and in the twinkle of a small greyish eye there was evi 
denco that its owner could keenly relish a joke, or, at times, jH'netrate one. 

Tho Iri.shman had j)ronounced his namo : it was Zebulon Stump, or “Old 
Zeb Stump,” ns ho was better known to tho very limited circle of his 
j ac<|uaintancefl. 

i ” Kaintuck, by birth an’ raisin’ ” — as ho would have described himself, if 
* asked the country of his nativity — ho had passed the early ))art of hifl life 
among the primeval forests of the Lower Mississipiu — his sole calling that 
of a hunter; and now, at a later jicriod, ho was performing tho same metier 
I in tho wilds of South western Texas. 

Tho behaviour of tho st.aghouud. as it bounded before him, exhibiting a 
\ series of canine welcomes, told of a friendly aojuuintanco botweeii Zeb 
\ Stump and Maurice the Mustanger. 

\ “ Evenin’ 1” luconic<illy saluted Zeb, as his tall figure shadowed tho cabin 
\loor. 

^ “(iood evening, Mr. Stump!” rejoined tho ow-ner of the hut, rising to 
receive him. “ Step insitle, and take a B(*atl” 

Tho hunter accepted the invitation ; and, making a single trifle across tlio 
floor, after some awkward manniuvring, succtusded in planting hini8«df on 
) the stool lately occupie<l by Phelim. Tho lowness of the seat brought Ids 
, knees upon a level with his chin, tho tall rifle rising like a pikestafT several 
; feet alstvo his head. 

" ])urn stools, anyhow !” muttered lie, evidently dissatisfied with the 
' posture ; “an’ churs, too, for thet matter. I likes to plant my stam upon a 
log ; thur ye've got somethin’ under ye as ain’t like to guv way.” 

"’Try that,” said his host, jKiinting to tho leathern {wrlraantoau in tho 
corn(!r • "you’ll find it a firmer seat” 

Old Zeb, adopting tho suggestion, unfoldud tho zigzag of his colossjd car- 
case, and transferred it to the trunk. 

" On foot, 5lr. Stump, as usual ?” 

" No : I got ray old critter out thur, tied to a saplin'. 1 wa’n’t a huntin’- 

" You never hunt on horseback, I believe?” 

" I shed bo a greenhorn if I dud. Anybody as goes huntin’, a hossback 
must bo a dumation fool !” 

’ “ But it’s tho universal fashion in Texas I’ 

I " Universal or no, it air a fool's fasltion — a dumed lazy fool’s fashion I I 
) kill more meat in ono day afut, then I ked in a hul week wi’ a hoes atween 

I my legs. I don’t misdoubt that a boss air the best thing for you — Ix'in’ as 

i yur game's entire diflf’ri'nt. But when ye go arter baar, or deer, or turkey 

' syther, ye won’t «ieo Ftuch o’ them, tramifin’ alxjut through the timmer • 


THE HEADLESS HORSE.MAX. 


39 


hossback, an scarnn everythin’ es lies got oars 'itlun tho circuit o’ a mile 
As tor bosses, I shedn’t be bothered wi' ne’er a one, no how ef twa’nt for 
packin’ the meat ; thet’s why I keej) my ole iiiaar.” 

“ She’s outside, you say ? Let Phelinl lake her round to the shed You’L’ 
stay all night?” 

" I kirn for that imrpiss. But ye needn’t trouble about the maar ; she rJf 
hitched safe eiiuf. I’ll let her out on the laryitt, afore 1 lake to grass.” 

“ You'll have something to eat? Phelim was just getting siipiMT ready 
I m sorry I can’t otfer you anything very dainty— some hash of venison ” 

“Nothin’ better ’n good deermeat, ’cejitiu it lie baar; but I like Ixjth 
done over tho coals. Maybe I can helj) yo to sonic ’at thet’ll make a roast 
Mister Pheelum, ef yo don’t mind stoppin’ to whar my critter air hitched' 
yo II find a gobbler bangin’ over the horn o’ the seddle. I sliot the bird as 1 
war coinin’ up the crik.” 

“ Oh that is rare good fortune I Our larder has got vorv low— quite out 
in truth Pve been so occupied, for the last three days, i'n chasing a very 
curious mustang, that I never thought of taking my gun with me. Phelim 
and I, and Tara, too, had got to the edge of starvation.” 

“ Whet sort o’ a mustang?” inquireii the hiiiuer, in a tone that betrayed 
interest, and without apjHiaring to notice the final remark. 

“ A luare ; with white spots on a dark chocolate ground— a splendid croa- 
lure ! ‘ 

fellurl thet air’s the very bizness thet’s brung me over 

" Indeed I” 

“Pve seed that muetang— maar, ye say it air. though I kedn’t tell, as 
she d mver let me itlnn hef a mile o’ her. Pve seed her wveral times out 
on the purayra, an I jest want.'d yo to go arter her. I’ll tell you whv. 

settlements since I seed you last, and since 1 seed her 
too. Wal, thecr hev kum thur a man us I knoweil on the Massissii.iu Ho 

tfo "P o’ ‘Join’s, ’siM-ciallv in 

rA?n Vi" -10*0^ o’ deermeat, and many’s the turkev- 

^obbler this hyur coon hes surplied for his table. Ilis name air Peiutde'x- 

“ Poindexter?” 

nriJ^ name— one o’ tho best known on the Ma.ssis«lppi from 

Orleens to L-wey He war rich then ; an, I reck’n, ain’t pirnr novIZ-^eeiJ^ 
as he s brought about a hundred niggers along wi’ him. Bixside thur’s •' 

wi* ’enT L^lend ^ name Calhoun. He’s got the dollars, an’ notldn’ to dii 
1 » ^ uncle— the which, for a sartin reezun I think 

ulantfr JoU y« why I Wanted to sec i/o/i. Thet ’ere 

Flit barter, as air hell bent upon hossflesh. She used to ride 

roe tSbn*tlF® o cattle m Loozeyanner, whar they lived. She hwni 

tFnt 1 pF tbnr 'll FF ^F?i spotted mustang ; and nothin’ would con- 
ibt promised he’d offer a big price for catchin’ 

ef ’twui 1‘wndrtHl dollare for tho anvmal 

‘n settlement straight custrut arter it ; so, savin’ 
iiuthin to nobody, I kim over hyur, fast as iny ol« muar 'ud fetch me, Vou 


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40 


i-HJt H£AUL£&b UUKblSMAX. 


grup thet 'ere spotty, an‘ Zeb Stump ’ll go yur bail ye’ll grab them tw# 
hundred dollars." 

“ Will you step this way, Mr. Stump?’ said the young Irishman, rising 
from his stool, and proceeding in the direction of the door. 

The hunter followed, not without showing some surprise at the abrupt 
invitation. 

Maurice conducted his visitor round to the rear of the cabin ; and, point- 
ing into the shed, inquired, 

“ Does that look anything like the mu.stang you’ve been spt'aking of ?’’ 

“ Doggone niy cats, ef ’taint the eyedenticul same! Grupped already I 
Two hundred dollars, easy as slidin’ down a barked saplin’ I Young fellur, 
yur in luck ; two hundred, slick sure ! — and durn mo, of the anymal ain’t 
worth every cent o’ the money ! Geehosofat 1 what a putty becst it air I 
Won’t Miss Peintdexter be pleezedl It’ll turn that young critter ’most 
cnutyl’’ 


CHAPTER VII. 

KOCTUUN.VL ANNOYANCES. 

Tite unexpected discovery, that his purpose had been already anticipated 
by the capture of the spotted mustang, raised the spirits of the old hunter 
tt) a high pitch of excitenumt. 

They were further elevated by a portion of the contents of the demijohn, 
I which held out beyond Phelim’s expectations : giving all hands an appetiz- 
1 ing “nip” before attacking the roast turkey, with another go each to wash 
i it down, and several more to accompany the post-cenal pijie. 

; While this was being indulged 'u, a conversation was carried on ; the 
! themes being those that all prairie men delight to talk about : Indian and 
hunter lore. 

• As Zeb Stump was a sort of living encyclop,-edia of the latter, he was al- 
lowed to do most of the talking ; and he did it in such a fashion as to draw 

• many a wondering ejaculation f^rom the tongue of the astonished Galwe- 
1 gian. 

Long before midnight, however, the conversation was brought to a close. 
Perhaps the empty demijohn was, as much as anything else, the monitor 
, that urged their retiring to rest ; though there was another and more cred- 
itable reason. On the morrow, the mustanger intended to start for the Set- 
i ilements ; and it was necessary that all should be astir at an early hour, to 
make preparation for the journey. The wild horses, as yet but slightly 
‘ tamed, had to be strung together, to secure against their escaping by the 
way ; and many other matters required attending to previous to departure. 

' The hunter had already tethered out his “ ole maar”— as he designa^ 
the sorry specimen of horseflesh he was occasionally accustomed to bestride 
' —and had brought back with h’ln an old yellowish blanket, which was all 

he ever used for a bed. , t i 

’ “ You may take my bedstead.” said his courteous host ; “ I can lay myeell 

oo a skin along the floor.” 


THE IlEAULLSS I10U8F,.MAK. 


41 


** No,” resyionded the giu^st ; “ none o’ ye: shelves for Zeb Ptninp to sleei 
on. I prefar ili(' solid groun’. 1 kin sleej) soumler on it ; an’ besides, thur's 
no fear o’ failin’ over." 

“ If you prefer it then, take the floor. Here’s the best place. I’ll spread 
, a hide for you.’’ 

"Young fellur, don’t yon do anythin’ n’ the sort; ye’ll only be wastin’ 
yur time. This child don’t shep on no floors. Ills bed air the green grass 
o’ tln! puraynra.” 

“What! you’ro not going to sleep oufe-ide?” inquired the mustanger in 
some surpri.se — S(ving that hisguest, with tlioold blanket over his arr:j, was 
making for the door. 

“ I ain’t agf)in’ to do anythin’ else.” 

“ Why, the night is freezing cold — almo.st as chilly as a norther !" 

"Durn that! It air better to stan’ a lectio chilliness, than a feelin’ o’ 
sufTercation — which last 1 wud sartinly hov to go through ef 1 slep inside o’ 
a house.” 

“ You are jesting Mr. Stump ?” 

"Young fellur 1” emphatically rejoined the liunter, without making direct 
reply to the question. "It air now nigh all o’ six yeer since Zeb Stump 
Ih.'V stretched his ole karkiss unner a r(M)f. 1 oncost uml to hev a sort o’ a 
liouso in the hollow o’ a syeumore-tre*;. 'Fhat wur on the Mississippi, wlien 
my ole oowan wur alive, an’ 1 kej) up the ’stal)li8hment to ’commerdate her. 
Arter she went under, I moved into lxK)zeynnny ; an’ then afterward kim 
out hyur. Since then the blue sky o’ ’Pexas hev been my only kiver,eytLei 
wakin’ or 8leej)in’.” 

“ If you j)refer to lie outside ” 

“I prefar it,’’ laconically rejoined the bnntor, at the same time stalking 
over the threshold, and gliding out uinm the little lawn that lay between 
the cabin and the creek. 

Ilis old blanket was not tlie only thing bo brought with 1dm. Beside it, 
hanging over his arm, could lx; seen some six or seven yards of a horsehair 
roj>c. It was a piece of a cabriexta — usually employ«‘d in tethcriug horses — 
though it was not for tins ]mrjK)8e it was now to ixi used. 

Having carefully scrutinize*! the grass within a circumference of several 
feet in diameter — whicli a shining m<K)n enabled iiim to do — be laid the rope 
with all care around the siwt exanuned, sliaplng it into a sort of irregular 
ellipse. 

Stepping Inside this, and wrapjiing the old blanket nronnd him, he quietly 
let himself down into a recumbent position. In an instant after bo appeared 
to l)e asleep. 

And he was asleep, as his strong breathing testifitxi : for Z«!b Stump, with 
a hale constitution and a quiet conscience, had only to summon sleep and it 
came. 

He was not permittc*! long to indulge his repose wifhoiit interruption. A 
I>air of wondering eyes had watched his every movement — the eyes of 
Phelim O’Neal. 

" Mother av Mozis !” muttered the Galwegian ; " fwat can be the manin’ 
av the old chap’s surroundin’ himself wid the rope?” 

The Irishman s curiosity for a while struggled with his courtesv, hut at 
’'-UfTth overcame it ; and just ns the slumberer delivered liis third snore, bs> 


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42 


THB HEADLESS HORSEMAW. 


fltolo tf>war(ls liim, shook liim out of his sleep, and propounded a question 
j bnsf'l upon the one he had aln'ady j)ut to himself. 

J “ Darn ye for a Irish donkey!” exclaimed Stump, in evident displeasuro 
; at being disturbed ; “ye made me think it war inornin’I What do I put 
‘ the rope roun’ me for ? What else wud it Ixj for, but to keep off the var* 
^ mints!” 

I “ What varmints, Misther Stump? Snakes, diz yez mane?” 

,, “ Snakes in coose. Durn yc, go to your bed!" 

! Notwithstanding the sharj) rebuke, Phelim returned to the cabin appar 
ently in high glee. If there was anything in Texas, “ barrin’ an’ above the 
ludyins themselves,’’ as he used to say, “ Uiat kept him from slapin’, it was 
: tliem villainous sarpints. He hadn’t had a good night’s rest, iver since he’d 
i been in the counthry for thinkin’ av the ugly vijxTS, or dliramin’ about 
thiin. What a pity Saint Pathrick hadn’t paid Tixas a visit before goin’ to 
grace !’’ 

4 Phelim in his remote residence, isolated as he had been from all inter- 
! course, had nevi^r before witnessed the trick of the cabriesto. 

! Ho was not slow to avail himself of the knowledge thus acquired. Re- 
turning to the cabin, and cr<‘e])ing stealthily inside — as if not wishing to 
I wake his master, already asleeji— he was seen to take a cabriesto from its 
}>eg : and then going forth again, he carried the long rope around the stock- 
) ado walls — paying it out as he proceeded. 

Having completed the cireumvallation, ho re-entered the hut; as he 
Wepped over the threshold, muttering to himself, — 

\ “ Sowl ! Piialim O’Nale, you'll slajie sound for this night, spite av all the 
Hflakes in Tixas !’’ 

For some minutes after Phelim’s soliloquy, a profound stillness reigned 
' around the hut of the mustanger. There was like silence insi<ie ; for the 
I countryman of St. Patrick, no longer apprehensive on the score of reptile 
intruders, ha<l fallen asleep, almost on the moment of his sinking down uji- 
j on his spread horse-skin. 

For a while it seemed as if everyliody w’as in the enjoyment of perfect re- 
' ]) 0 .se, Tara and the ea;)tive sti'eds included. The only sound heard was 

that made by Zeb Stump’s “ maar,” close by cropping the sweet yrnma 
grass. 

l^resently, however, it might have been perceived that the old liunter 
w.as himself stirring. Instead of lying still in the recumbent attitude to 
whicli ho had consigned himsidf, ho could lie seen shifting from side to side 
as if some feverish thought was keeping him awake. 

After repeating this movement some half-score of times, ho at length 
i raised himself into a sitting jKisture, and looked discontentedly around. 

' “ Dod-rot his ignorancf* and im|x:rence — the Irish cuss !” were the words 

! that came hissliig through his teeth. “ He’s sjioilt my night’s rest, durn 
I him! ’Twould sarve him ’Inuit right to drag him out, an’ gio him a duck- 
j in’ in the crik. Dog goned ef I don’t feel ’dined torst doin’ it ; only I don’t 
■ like TO displeeze the other Irish, who air a somebody. Possible 1 don’t git 
‘ a wink o’ sleep till mornin’.” 

Having delivered himself of this peevish soliloquy, the hunter once more 
- drew the idnnket around his liody, and returned to the horizontal positioa 

i 

I 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


43 i 

Not to sleep, however ; as wm testified by the tossing and fidgeting that ! 
{bllowed — terminated by his again rai"'ng himself into a sitting posture. 

A soliloquy, very similar to his fonner one, once more jirocoedetl fnim his 
lips ; this time the threat of ducking Phelim in the crick being expres8c<l J 
with a more emphatic accent of determination. 

He appeared to be wavering, as to whether ho should carry the design in 
to execution, when an object coming under his eye gave a new turn to his I 
thoughts. 

On the ground, not twenty feet from where ho sate, a long thin bxly was i 
seen gliding over the grass. Its serjnmt shape, and smooth lubricated skin.. 

reflerting the silvery light of the moon — rendered the reptile easy of ideu \ 
tifiaition. 

“ Snake !’’ mutteringly exclaimed he, as his eye rested u{)on the reptilian ■ 
fiirm. “ Wonder what sort it air, slickerin’ abeout liyur at this time o' the j 
night ? It air too large for a rattle ; though thur air some in these parts 
most as big as it. But it air too clur i’ the colour, an’ thin about the Ixdly, ■ 
for ole rattletail I No ; ’tain’t one o’ them. Hah — now I ree-cog-nize tlio 
varmint! It air a chielcen, out on the sarch arler eggs, I reck’n I Dum the 
thing ! it air coinin’ torst me, straight as it kin crawl I’’ . 

The tone in which the speaker delivered himself told that he was in no I 
fear of the reptile — even after discovering that it was making approach. 
He knew that the snake would not cross the cabriesto -, but on touching it 
would turn away ; as if the horsehair rope was a line of living fire. Secure^ 
within his magic circle, he could have looked tranquilly at the intruder,'^! 
though it had bi‘en the moat poisonous of prairie serjients. 1. 

But it was not. On the contrary, it was one of the most innocuoun — ! 
harmless as the “chicken,” from which the stiecies takes its trivial title— ai ' 
the same time that it is one of the largest in the list of Nortli-American ' 
reptilin. 

The expression on Zeb’s fare, as he sat regarding it, was simjily one of i 
curiosity, and not very keen. To a hunter in the constant habit of couching 
himself ujion the grass, there was nothing in the sight cither strange o” 
terrifying ; not even when the creature came close up to the cabriesto, and, 
with head slightly elevated, rublied its snout against the rope I 1 

After that there was less reason to bo afraid ; for the snake, on doing so, ' 
instantly turned round and commenced retreating over the sward. 

For a ST'cond or two the hunter watched it moving away, without makin”’ 
any movement himself. Ho seemed undecided as to wdiethcr ho should fob ‘ 
low and destroy it, or leave it to go as it hatl come— unscathed. Had it j 
tiean a rattlesnake, “ copperhead,’’ or “ moccasin,’’ ho would have acted up ! 
to the curse delivered in the garden of Eden, and planted the heel of 
Ills heavy alligator-skin boot upon its head. But a harmless chicken- 
snake did not come writhin the limits of Zeb Stump’s antipathy : as was 
eviilenced by some words muttered by him as it slowly receded from the 
spot. 

“ Poor crawlin’ critter ; let it go ! It ain’t no enemy o’ mine ; though it 
do suck a turkey’s eggs now an’ then, an’ in coorse scarcities the breed o’ 
the birds. Thet air only its nater, an’ no rcezun why I shod be angry wi’ 
it. But thur’s a dumed good reezun why I shed bo wi’ that Irish — the dog- 
eoned. stinkin’, fool, to ha’ woke mo es ho dud I I feel dod rottotl like t 




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44 


THE HEADLESS HOKSEUAN. 


■ pnrvin’ him out, of I kod only think o’ some way na wudn’t disrommfKlo th« 
I young ftdiur. Stay! By (icchosofat, I'vo got tljo idoc — tho very tiling— 

■ sure 08 my name air Zeh Stump !” 

. On giving utterance to tho last words, tho hunter — whose countenance 
had suddenly assumed an expression of quiziical chcerlulness — sprang to 
^ his feet; and, with In-nt Isnly, hastened in pursuit of the retreating reptile 
: A few strides brought him alongside of it when ho iiounced uim>u it with 

all his ten digits extended. 

In another moment its long glittering liody was uplifted from tho ground 
’’.ind writhing in his grasj). 

/ “ Now, Mister Phelim,” exclaimed he, ns if apostrophizing the Eer]>ent, 

j “ ef I don’t gi’o yur Irish soul a scare thet ’ll keep ye awake till inornin’. 
I don’t know kuzzart from turkey. Ilyur goes to purvido ye wi’ a liedfcl- 
lur I” 

On saying this, he advanced towards tho hut ; and, silently skulking 
I under its shadow', released tho Beqient from his gripe — letting it fall within 
; tho circle of the eabricsto, with which Phelim had so craftily surrounded his 
sleej)ing-placo. 

Tlien returning to his grassy couch, and once more pulling tho old blank 
j et over his shoulders, ho muttered, — 

■ “ Tho varmint won’t come out acrost tho rope — thet air sartin ; an’ it ain’t 
agoin' to leave a yuru o’ the groun’ ’ithout explorin’ for a place to git clur 

j -Vtliet’s e»'<iually sartin. Ef it don’t crawl over thet Irish greenhorn ’itliin 
: tl'e hef o’ an hour, then ole Zeb Stump air a greenhorn hisself. Hi ! what’s 
I thet? Dog-goued ef ’taint on him arready I” 

If tho hunter had any further reflections to give tongue to, they could 
' net have been heard : for at that moment there arose a confusion of noises 
i that must have startled every living creature on the Alamo, and for miles 
; up and down tho stream. 

It was a human voice that had given the cue — or rather, a human howl, 

' such as could procetMi only from the throat of a Galwegian. Phelim O’Neal 
was the originator of tho infernal fracas. 
j Ilis voice, how ever, was soon drowned by a chorus of barkings, snortings 
I and neighings, that extutinued without interruption for a i>eri<El of several 
minutes. 

What is it ?” demanded hie master, ns he leaped from tho catre, and 
groped his way towards his terrihed servitor. " What the devil has got into 
, you, Phelim ? Have you seen a ghost?” 

“ Oh, masther I — by Jaysus I worse than that : I’vo been murdhered by a 
snake. It’s bit mo all over tho body. Blessed Saint Patrick I I’m a poor 
lost sinner I I’ll be sure to die !” 

( “ Bitten you, you say — where ?” asked Maurice, hastily striking a light, 

j and proceeding to examine the skin of his henchman, assisted by the old 
. hunter — who had by this time arrived within the cabin. 
i “ I see no sign of bite,” continued the mustanger, after having turned 
Phelim round and round, and closely scrutinized his epidermis, 
i “ Ne’er a scratch,” laconically interpolated Stump. 

*' Sowl ! then, if I’m not hit. so much tho better ; but it crawled all over 
me. I can feel it now, ns cowld as charity, on mo skin.” 

” Was there a snake at all !” demanth^ Maurice, inclined to doubt th# 

I 

1 

V 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


45 


Statement of his follower, “ You’ve lH*en dreaming of one, Phelim — noth- 
ing more.” 

“ Not a bit of a dhrame, masther: it was a raal sarpint. Bo mo sowl, 
I’m shure of it!” 

" I reck’n thur’s been snake,” drily remarked the hunter. “ Ijet’s see if 
we kin track it up. Kewrious it air, too. Thur’s a hair roixj all roun’ tl)o 
house. W’onder how tho varmint could ha’ crossed thet ? Thur — thur it 
is !” 

Tho hunter, as he spoke, pointed to a corner of tho cabin, where tho sor- 
[)ent was seen spirally coiled. 

“ Only a chicken !” he continued ; “ no more harm in it than in a suckin’ 
dove. li ke<ln’t ha’ bit ye. Mister Pheolum ; but we’ll put it jMist bitiu’, 
anyhow.’’ 

Saying this, the hunter seized tho snake in his hands ; and, raising it 
aloft, brought it .down uj)on the flf>or of the cabin with a “ thwack” that 
almost deprived it of tho iwwer of motion. 

“ Thur now. Mister Phelim !” he exclaimed, giving it tho finishing touch 
with tho heel of his heavy boot, “ ye may go back to yur bed atrin, an' 
sleep ’ithout fear o’ bein’ disturln-d till the inornin’ — leastwise, by snakes.” 

Kicking the defunct nqitilo before him, Zeb Stump strode out of tho hut, 
gleefully chuckling to himself, as, for the third time, ho extended his colos- 
aal carcase along the sward. 


CHAPTER VIII. 

THE CIIAWL OF THE ALACRAN. 

The killing of the snake npi>eared to bo the cue for a general return to qui- 
esence. Tho bowlings of the hound ceased with those of tho henchman. 
The mustangs once more stood silent under the shadowy trees. 

Inside the cabin tho only noise heard was an ocovsional shuffling, when 
Phelim, no longer feeling confidence in the protection of a cabriesta, turned 
restlessly on his horseskin. 

Outside also there was but one sound to disturb tho stillness, though its 
intonation was in striking aintrast with that heanl within. It might have 
been likened to a cross between the grunt of an alligator and tho croaking 
t>f a bull frog ; but proceeding, as it did, from the nostrils of Zeb Stump, it 
could only be the snore of the slumbering hunter. Its sonorous fullness 
proved him to be soundly asleep. 

He was — had been, almost from the moment of re-establishing himself 
within tho circle of his cabriesta. The revanche obtained over his lato dis- 
turber had acted as a settler to his nerves ; and onco more was he enjoying 
tho relaxation of perfect repose. 

For nearly an hour did tliis contrasting duet continue, varied only by an 
occasional recitative in tho hoot of the great horned owl, or a cantata penserosa 
In tho lugubrious wail of the prairie wolf. 

At the end of this interval, however, the chorus recommenced, breaking 
out abruptly as before, and as before led by the vociferous voice of the Con- 
nemara man. 





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46 


THE HEADLESS ItOnsSMAN*. 


" Meliah murdher !" crie<i lie, his first cschmiuiioii not only startlin," tlia 
host of the hut, but the guest so soundly sleeiiing outside. “ Ilov/ly Moth- 
er ! Vargin av unpurticteil innocence ! Save inn — save me !” 

“ Save you from what ?” demanded his master, once more springing from 
his couch and hastening to strike a light. *' What is it, }ou confounded 
fellow?” 

“ An Jther snake, yer banner I Ochl be mosowl! a far wickeder sarpent 
than the wan Misther Stump killed. It’s bit me all over the bn-ast. I feel 
the place burnin’ where it crawled across me, just as if the horse-shoer at 
Ballyballagh had scorched mo wid a rid hot iron !” 

“ Durn ye for a Blinkin’ skunk !" shouted Zeb Stump, with his blanket 
about Ills shoulder, quite filling the doorway. “ Ye've twicest spiled my 
night's sleep, ye foolish fool 1 ’Sense me. Mister Gerald ! Tliur air fools in 
all countries, 1 rcck’n, ’Merican as well as Irish — but this hyur follerer o’ 
yourn air the dumdest o’ the kind iver I kim acrost. Dog-gonod if I see 
how wo air to get any sleep the night, 'less wo drownd him in the crik 
fust 1” 

“Ochl Misther Stunij) dear, don’t talk that way. I sware to yez both 
there’s another snake. I’m shuro it’s in the kyabin yit. It’s only a minute 
since I feelcd it creepin’ over me.” 

You must ha’ been dreeminV” rejoined the hunter, in a more compla- 
cent tone, and sptjaking half interrogatively. “ I tell ye no snake in Texas 
will cross a horsehair rope. The lotlier 'un must ha’ been inside the house 
afore ve laid the laryitt roun’ it. ’Taint likely there ked lia’ been two on 
’em. \Vo kin soon settle that by sarchin’.” 

“Oh, murdher I Luk hare !” cried the Galwegian, pulling off his shirt 
.;nd laying bare his breast. “ Thare’s the riptoile’s track, right acrass over 
morilM! Didn’t I tell yez there was another snake? O blissed Mother, 
what will bc*come av mo ? It feels like a strake of fire !” 

“ Snake I” exclaimed Stump, stepping up to the affrighted Irishman, and 
holding the candle close to his skin. “ Snake i’deed 1 By the ’tarnal airth- 
quake, it air no snake ! It air wuss than that 1” 

“Worse than a snake?” shouted Phelim in dismay. “ Worse, yez say, 
Misther Stump ? Div yez mane that it’s dangerous ?” 

Wal, it mout be, an’ it moutn’t. Thet ere ’ll depend on whether I kin 
find somethin’ ’bout hyur, an’ find it soon. Ef I don’t, then. Mister Phee- 
lum, I won’t answer ” 

■^‘Oh, Misther Stump, don’t say there’s danger I” 

“ What is it ?” demanded Maurice, as his eyes rested upon a reddish line 
running diagonally across the breast of his follower, and which looked as if 
traced by the point of a hot spindle. “ What is it anyhow ?” he repeated 
with increasing anxiety, as he observed the serious look with which the 
hunter regarded the strange marking. " I never saw the like before. Is it 
iiomelhing to be alarmed about ?” 

“ All o’ thet. Mister Gerald,” replied Stump, motioning Maurice outside 
the hut, and speaking to him in a whisper, so as not to be overheard by 
Phelim. 

“ But what is it 7’ eagerly asked the mustanger. 

*' It air the crawl o’ the pieen tentipfde." 

“ The poisoix centipede I lias it bitten him 7” 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


4 ? ^ 

•■No, I hardly think it hez. But it don’t need thet. Tlio eraui d itself 
air enuf to kill him !” 

“Merciful heaven! you don’t mean that 7” 

“ I do, Mi.sler Gerald. I’ve seed more 'an one good fellur go under wi' 
that sort o’ a strijw acrost his skin. If liiur ain’t somethin’ dime, an’ thet 
ei»n, he'll fust get into a ragin’ fever an’ then he’ll go out o’ his senses, 
j(«t as if the bite o’ a mad dog had gin him the hydrophoViy. It air no 
use frightenin’ him howsomdever, till I sees what I kin do. Thur’s a yarb 
or ratln-r it air a jiiant, as grows in these parts. Ef 1 kin find it handy, i 
t’liere'll be no defeequilty in curin’ o’ him. But as tiie cussisl lurk wud hev ! 
it, the moon hez sneaked out o’ sight ; an’ 1 kin only get tho yarb by grop. ! 
in’. I know tlu^ro air plenty o’ it up on tho bluff ; and of you’ll go back in- ■ 
side, an’ keep tho fellur quiet. I’ll see what kin be done. I won’t be gonn j 
but a minute.” ' 

Tho whispered colloquy, and tho fact of the siH'akers having gone outsido j 
to carry it ou, instead of iranquilizing tho fears of Phelim, had hy this time ; 
augmented tliem to an extreme degree; and just as the old hunter, bent , 
upon his herl>ori'/.ing errand, disapiK*ared in the darkness, he came rushing j 
forth from tho hut, howling more piteously than ever. 

It was some timo before his master could get him tranquilized, and then 
only by assuring him — on a faith not very firm — that there waa not tho 
slightest danger. “ > 

A few seconds after this had been accomplished, Zeb Stump reappeared 
in tho doorway, with a countenance that jinKluced a pleasant change in the 
feelings of those inside. His confident air and attitude proclaimed, as 
plainly as wonls could have done, that he had discovcrt>d that of which l e r — 
had gone in search — the “yarb.” In his right hand he held a number of 
oval shaped objects of dark green colour — all of them bristling with sharp ' 
spines, set over tho surface in equidistant clusters. Maurice recognized the 
leaves of a plant well known to him — the oregano cactus. 

“ Don’t be skeeart. Mister Pheelum I” said the old hunter, in a consola- 1 
tory tone, as he stepped across tho threshold. “ Thur's nothin’ to fear now. 

I hev got the bolsum as ’ll draw the bumin’ out o’ yur blood, quicker ’an j 
flume ’ud scorch a feather. Stop yur yellin’, man ! Ye’ve rousted every ! 
bird an’ beast, an’ creepin’ thing too, I reckon out o’ thar slumbers, for more 
an’ twenty mile un an’ down tho crik. Ef you go on at that mst much 
longer, yo’ll bring the Kumanchees out o’ thur mountains, an’ that ’ud be 
wuAs mayhap than the crawl o’ this hundred-legged critter. Mister Gerald 1 
you git riddy a baudige, whiles I purjiares the jMjwltiss.” 

I)r.iwing his knife from its sheath, the hunter first lopp«;d off tlie spines ; ; 
an I then, removing tho outside skin, he split tho thick succulent leaves of ^ 
t!ij cactus into slices of about an eighth of an inch in thickness. These he J 
spread contiguously upon a strip of clean cotton stuff already prepared by j 
the mustanger ; and then, with the ability of a hunter, laid tho “ powltiss,’ i 
.us he termed it, along the inflamed line, which he declared to have bei n ' 
made by the claws of tho centipede, but which in reality was caused by tl c > 
injection of venom from its poison-charged mandibles, a thousand times iiv 
•erted into the flesh of the sleeper !” 

The application of tho orcynoo was almost instantaneous in its effect. The ; 
acrid juice of the plant, producing a counter jKiison, killed that which h:..l 


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IS 

l)een pecrcted l;y ilio nniinal ; and the patient, relieved from further appr% 
Jiension, and sooiIukI l)y ti»e ewoet confidence of eecurity — ^tronge^ from re 
action — soon feli of into a jirofound and restor.ilivo slumber. 

After searching for the ciuitiiMide and tailing to find it — for this hideout 
reptile, known in Mexico as tlie alacran, unlike the rattlesnnko, has no fear 
of crossing a eabriesto — the improvisiMl jdiysician strode silently out of the 
cabin ; and once more committing himself to his grassy couch, slept undis- 
turbed till the morning. 

At the earliest hour of daybreak all three were astir— Phelitn having re 
covert both front his fright ajul his fever. Having made their matutinal 
meal upon the rfficw of the roast turkey, they hastened to take their de- 
parture from the hut. The quondam stable-boy of Ballyballag •, assisteil 
by the Texan hunter, prepared the wild steeds for transi>ort across the 
plains — by stringing them securely together — w'hile Maurice looked after 
his own horse and the spotted mare. More especially did he expend lu i 
time upon the beautiful captive — can fully combing out her mane and tail, 
and removing from her glossy coat the stains that told of the severe chase 
she had cost him before her proud neck yielded to the constraint of his 
laxo. 

“Durn it, man!” exclaimed Zeb, as, with some surprise, ho stood watch- 
ing the movements of the mustanger, “ ye nctnln’t ha’ b« 3 en hef so pertick* 
ierl Wudley Peintdexter ain’t the man as’ll go back from a barg’in. Yu’ll 
git the two hundenl dollars, sure as my name air Zeb’lun Stump: an’ dog- 
gone my cats, ef the maar ain’t worth every red cento’ the money!” 

Oilaurice heard the remarks without making reply ; but the half sup- 
pressed smile playing around his lips told that the Kentuckian had alto- 
gether misconstrued the motive for his assiduous grooming. 

In le ss than an hour after, the mustanger was on the march, mounted on 
his blood-l..ay, and leading the spotted mare at the end of his lazo ; while 
the captive cwallada, under the guidance of tlie Galwegian groom, w’ent 
trooping at a brisk pace over the plain. 

Zeb Stump, astride his “ old marr,” could only keep up by a constant 
hammering with his heels ; and Tara, picking his steps through the spinous 
mczqmtc grass, trotUnl listlessly in the rear. 

The hut, with its skin-door closed against animal intruders, was left to 
take care of itself; its silent solitude, for a time, to be disturbed only by the 
hooting of the horned owl, the scream of the cougar, or the howl-bark of 
the hungering coyote. 


CHAPTER IX. 

TTIE FnOXTIKR FORT. 

The “star-spangled banner” suspendal al)Ovo Fort Inge, as it flouts forth 
from its tall stafi; flings its fitful shadow over a scene of strange and ojigi- 
nal interest. 

It is a picture of pure frontier life— which perhaps only the pencil of the 
voungcr Vemet could truthfully i)ortray— half military, half civilian— half 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


4d 

savage, half civilized — mottled with figures of men whose complexions, coi 
tumcH, and callings, proclaim them appertaining to the extiemes of boiii 
and every jKjssible gradation Ix-lwtvn. ' 

Even the wi w-f a sernr— the Fort itself— is of this ir.ineegtmus character. I 
That star spangled banner waves not over ba-stions and battlements ; it ! 
flings no shadow over casemate or covered way, fo.^se, scarpment, or glacis— i 
scarce anything that appertains to a fortress. ' A rude stockade, ’construct(>d I 
out of trunks of algarohia, enclosing sht-d-stabling for two hundred horses • 1 
outside this a half-score of buildings of the jdainest architectural style— ^ ' 
some of them mere huts of “ wattle and daub ’’—yafrt/M— the biggest a bar. i 
rack ; behind it the hospital, the stores of the comiuissarj", and quarter- 
master ; on one side the guardhouse ; and on the other, more pretentiously 

placed, the me-ssroom and officers’ quarters ; all jdain in their appearance 

plastered and whitewashed with the lime plentifully found on the Leona 

all neat and clean, as becomes a cantonment of tmops wearing uniform 
of a great civilized nation. Such is Fort Inge. 

At a short distance off another group of houses metds the eye— nearly, if | 
not quite, as imjKtsing as the cluster above descrilx-d bearing' the name’ of ' 
"The Fort.” They are just outside the shadow of the flag, though under 
its j)rotection — for to it are they indebted for their origrn and existence. 
They are the gem of the villago that universally springs up in the proxi- 
mity of an American military post— in all probability, an 1 at no very re^ 
mote period, to become a town — perhaps a great city. 

At present their occupants are a sutler, whoso store contains "knirk- 
kuacks not classed among commissariat rations ; an hotel-keeper whoso I 
bar-room, with white sanded floor and shelves sparkling with prismatic 
glass tempts the idler to step in ; a brace of gamblers whose rival tables of 
faro and nionU extract from the pockets of the soldiers most part of their 
pay ; a score of dark-eyed senorita-s of questionable reputation ; a like 
number of huntera, teamsters, mu$tangn-», and nondescripts — such as consti- 
tute m all countries the hangcrs^in of a milit.;ry cantonment, or the fol’ow- 
ers of a camp. 

The houiH'sin the occupancy of this motley corporation have been "sited ” 
with some design Perhaps they are the property of a single speculator. 
They stand around a "square,” where, instead of lamp-posts or statues 
may bo seen the decaying trunk of a cypress, or tho bushy form of a hack- 
berry, rising out of a iapts of troddeu grass — 

forT ^ rivulet-glides past in the mar both of 

fort and 'jHage. To the front extends a level plain, green as verdure can 
make it in the distance darkened by a bordering of woods, in which post- 

struggle for existence with spinous 
plants of ^ctus and anona ; with scores of creepers, climbers, and parasites 
almost unknown to the botanist. To the south and east along tho banks of 
tho stream you sec scattered houses; the homesteads of plantations - some 
of them rude and of recent construction, with a few of more pretentious 
style and evidently of older origin. One of these last particularly attracts 
c^ne !!!! ' tt^ructure of superior sizo-with fin 4 nwf. surmouJitcd by a 

crenelled parapet— whoso white walls show conspkuously against thegrwm 

which it is half encircL-d. It is the hacienda of 


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50 


THE HEADLESS HOhSEHAV. 


I Tumin{f your eye northward, you behold a curious isolated eminence — a 
piKttUtic cone of rocks — rising several hundred feet above the lev*i of ihe 
plain ; and beyond, in dim distance, a waving horizontal line indicating the 
outlines of tho Guadalupe mountains — the outstanding spurs of that eleva- 
i ted and almost untiodden plateau, tho lAaw Ettacado. 

\ Lofjk aloft I You behold a sky, half sapphire, half turquoise ; by day, 
showing no other siwt than the orb of its golden god ; by night, studded’ 
with stars that appear clipped from clear steel, and a moon whoso well-de- 
fined disc outshines the etfulgence of silver. 

Look below — at that hour when moon and stars have disappeared, and 
tho land-wind arrives from Matagorda Bay, laden with tho fragrance of 
dowers ; when it strikes the starry flag, unfolding it to the eye of tho moon 
— then look below, and behold the j)icture that should have been painUsi 
by tho pencil of Vemet — too varied and vivid, too plentiful in shapes, cos- 
tumes, and colouring, to be sketched by tho j>en. 

I In the tableau you distinguish soldiers in uniform — tho light blue of the 
United States infantry, the darker cloth of the dragoons, and tho almost in- 
I visible green of the mounteil riflemen. 

You w'ill seo but few in full unifonn — only tho officer of tho day, the cap- 
tain of tho guard, and tho guard itself. 

Their coinradee ofl' duty lounge alM>ut the barracks, or within the stock- 
ade enclosure, in red flannel shirts, slouch liats, and boots inm>ccnt of 
blacking. 

y'hey mingle with men whose costumes make no pretence to a military 
diaracter: tall hunters in tunics of dress<‘d deerskin, with leggings tocorre- 
) spond — herdsmen and mustangers, habited a la Mcxicainc — Mexicans them, 
selves, in wide calzoarros, $erapf$ on their shoulders, botas on their legs, huge 
spurs upon their heeds, and glazed sombreros set jauntily on their crowns. 
They j>alaver with Indians on a friendly visit to tho Fort, for trade or treaty ; 
whose tents stand at some distance, and from whose shoulders hang blank- 
ets of red, and green, and blue — giving them a picturesque, even classical, 

: appearance, in spito of tho hideous paint with which they have bedaubed 
their skins, and tho dirt that renders sticky their long black hair, length- 
ened by tresses taken from the tails of their horses, 
j Picture to the eye of your imagination this jumble of mixed nationali- 
ties — in their varied costumt s of race, condition, and calling ; jot in here 
i and there a black skinned scion of Ethiopia, tho body servant of some offi- 
cer, or tho emissary of a planter from tho adjacent settlements ; imagine 
them standing in gossiping groups, or stalking over the level ]>lain, amidst 
; some half-tlozen halted waggons ; a couple of six-pounders upon their carri- 
’ ages, with caissons close by ; a square tent or two, wth its surmounting fly 
— occupied by some eccentric officer who prefers sleeping under canvas ; a 
stack of bayonete<l rifles belonging to tho soldiers on guard, — imagine all 
these component parts, and you will have before your mind’s eye a truthful 
picture of a military fort uiK»n tho frontier of Texas, and tho extreme selv- 
' edge of civilization. 

*»*♦*♦* 

1 About a week after the arrival of the Louisiana planter at his new home, 
! three officers were seen standing upon the parade groimd in front of Fort 
Inge, with their eyes turned towards the hacienda of Casa del Corvo. 


THE HEADLESS HORSF.MAa. 




61 


They were all young men : the oldest not over thirty yc'nrs of agt?. Ilia 
■houlder-strups with the double bar lUiH-laiiin-u him a captain ; the wvoi.d, 
with a single cross bar, was a first lieute’iant ; while the youngest of tho ^ 
two, with an empty chevron, was cither a second lieuicnant or “ br.'vet.” ^ 
Thev were ofl' duty ; engaged in conversjition — their theme, the “ new • 
people ” in Casa del Corvo— by wliich was meant tho Ijouisiana planter and ^ 


A sort of housewarming it's t > be,” said the infantry captain, alluding ‘ 
to an invitation that had reache*! tho F*»rt, extending to all tho commission- I 
ed otlicers of the garrison. “ Dinner first, and dancing afterwards— a regii. 
lar field day, where I supiwse wo shall jiaraded tho aristocracy ami p 

beauty of tha settlement.” , , ,. . r* *. x- . C 

‘‘Aristocracy’?” laughingly rejoined the lieutenant of dragoons. Aot 
much of that here, I fancy ; and of beauty still k'ss.” , , » 1 

“ You mifttako, Hancock. There are hotli wi'fr.n tho banks of ihc LrOona, p- 

some g(XHi States’ families have straye<l out this way. We’ll meet thein at : 
Poindexter’s party, no doubt. On the (luestion of ari^i,oe^iley, tho host him- f 
self if you’ll pardon a ]>oor joke, is himself a host. He has enough ot it to [ 
inoculate all tho company that may bo lues' ut ; and us for la nuty. I’ll Imek f 
his daughter against anything this side the Sabine. Tho commissary s | 
neico will be no longer b*‘lie alviut here.” r * • I 

“Oh indeed!” drawled the lieutonaul of rifles, in a tone that told of Ins 
iMiing chafed by this repr- sentation. “Miss Poindexter must bo deuc*tll 

go<Kl-lo iking, then.” •. I 

“ Siie’s ail that, I ttdl you, if she be anything like what she wn.s wltejii 1 j 
ia.st saw her, which was at a Bayou Lafourche ball. There were hah'’ in. 
dozen Creo es there, who come nigh crossing swonls alxiut her.” 

“ A co<iuotte, I supiKiso '!” insinuated tho rifleman. 

“ Nothing of tho kind. Crossman. Quite the contrary, I assure you. ( 
She’s a girrof spirit, though- likely enough to snub any _fe!*«w who might f 
try to be too familiar. Sho’s not without some of the tatlVer’s pride. It s a^ 
family trait of the Poindexters.” | 

“ Just the girl I should cotton to,” jocosely remarked the young dragoon, y 
“ And if she’s as goml looking as you say. Captain Sloman, I shall certainly? 
go in for her. Unlike Crossman here, Idn clear of all entangl ments of tin* 
heart. Thank tho Lord for it!” I 

“ Well, Mr. Hancock,” rejoined the infantry officeg, a gentleman of solsg* 
inclinings, “I’m not given tolKdting; l>ut I’d lay a big wager y<.u won’t | 
sav that? after you have seen Louis*} Poindexter — that is, if you sfieuk youri 

mind.” | 

“Pshaw, Sloman! don’t you bo alarmed nlxiut me. I’ve lieen too often/ 
under the fire of bright eyes to have any fear of them.” 1 

“ None so bright as hers.” 

“Deuce take it! you make a fellow fall in love with this lady without! 
having set eyes ui)on In r. S e must l:e something ext raordinary — incom-" 
parable.” | 

" She was lioth, when I last saw h« r.’ ^ 

“ How long ago was that } 
“ 'Tlte Lafourche ball ? Ijot m*; sec — about eighteen months. Just nfteir 
we got back from Mexico. She *• as then ‘ coming out ’ as society stj'h's it ' 







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Tiin i:rAni iionsEMAW. 


j “ A iihw Ptarili flu* lirinamuiit, to and glory bom P 

“ Eiglitcnn inor.ilin 13 a !on;jr tiino,” pagfly remarked ('ronsman — “a /ong 
time lor an unmarried maid'-n — eHix-rially among Creoles, where they often 
get PpHeod at twelve, insb ad of ‘ sweet sixteen.' Her beauty may have lost 
sojii ' of its bloom V” 

“ I ladievo not a l it. I should have c.alled to see ; only I knew they were 
) in the middle of their ‘ 1 I nishirig,’ and mightn’t desire to bo visited. Bu. 
1 the major has be n to Casa del Corvo, and brouglit bark such a report 
! aliout Miss Poind<-xtei’t! beauty as almost got him , into a scrape with the 
! lady commanding the post.” 

“ Upon my roul, Captain Slonian !” asseverated the lieutenant of dragoons, 
' "you’ve excited my curiosity to such a degree, I fe<“l already half in love 
' with Loiiisti Poindexter 1” 

" Before you get altogether into it.” rejoined tho oflicer of infantry, in a 
I serious tone, “ let me recommend a little caution. There’s a bete noir in the 
I background.” 

I “ A brother, I suppose ? That is the individual usually so regarded.” 

j “There is a brother, but it’s not he. A free noble young fellow he is — 

j the only Poindexter I ever knew not eaten up with pride. He’s quite the 
’ reverse.” 

“ The aristocratic father, then? Surely he wouldn’t object to a quarter- 
ing with tho Hanewks ?” 

i I’m not so sure of that ; seeing that the Hancocks are Yankees, and he’s 
I a ahivalric Southerner ! But it’s not old Poindext*T I mean.” 

Who, then, is the black beast, or what is it — if not a human?” 

" It is human, after a fashion. A male cousin — a queer card he is — by 
' name Cassius Calhoun.” 

" I think I’ve heard the name.” 

" So bqvo JJ’ said the lieuttmant of rifles. 

1 “ So has almost eveiybody who had anything to do with the Mexican war 

• — that is, who took part in Scott’s campaign. He figured there extensively 
j and not very creditably either. He was cjvptain in a volunteer regiment of 
' Mississippi an 8 — for he hails from that State ; hut he was oftener met with 
I at tho wioMtf-tahlc than in the quarters »)f his regiment. He had one or two 
I afT.iirs, that gave him tlio reputation of a bully. But that notoriety was 
, not of Mexican-war origin. Ho had earned it lioforo going there ; and was 
j well k?iown among the desperadoes of New Orleans as a dangerous man.” 

I *• What of all that?” asked the young dragoon, in a tone sliglitly savour 
I ing of defiance. " Who cares whether Mr. Cassius Calhoun Iw a dangerous 
I man. or a harmless one ? . Not I. He’s only the girl’s cotisin, you say ?” 

I “ Something more, perhn]>s. I have reason to think he’s her lover.” 

' “ Accepted, do yon suppos«*?” 

i " That I can't tell. I only know, or snspeet. that he’s tho favourite of the 
] father. I have beard reasons why; given only in whispers, it is true. bur. 
j too probable to he scouted. The fild story — influence springing from mert 
gage money. P-'iiMh'xter’s not so rich as he has been — else we’d never 
i have 8 en him cot here.” 

j "If the ladv be so atfrnefive as you fay, I suppose w’cll have Cnj-tnin 
j Cassius out here also. Indore long?’’ 

I 





> 


THE IlE.tDLUbS I!ni:8EMAN. 




53 


“Before longl Is that all you know ub./i.t it? 
with tho family, and is now residing with them. 


Ho M here ; came along 
Somo say ho’s a partner 

in tho jilanting speculation. I saw him this very morning— down in the 
hotel bar-room — ‘ liquoring up,’ and swaggering in his old way.” 

"A swartby-complexioned man, ot about thirty, with dark hair and 
moustaches ; wearing a blue cloth frock, half military cut, and a Colt’s re- 
volver strapped over liis thigh ?” 

" / ye, and a 1 owic knife, if you had looked for it, under tho breast of hia 
coat. That’s the man.” 

" He’s rather a formidable-looking fellow,” remarked tho young rifl»;man. 

" If a bully, his hM)ka don’t belie him.” 

" D — n his looks 1” half angrily exclaimed tho dragoon. “ Wo don’t hold 
commissions in Undo Sam’s army to ho scand by liK)ks, nor bullies cither. ; 
If he conies any of his bullying overme, ho’U lind I’m as quick with a trig- 
ger as lie.” 

At tliat moment the bnglo brayed out the call for morning parade — a 
ceremony observed at tho little frontier fort ns rcgulnily as if a whole eo/y?*- 1 
(f armee had been present — and the three ollicers seiiarating, betook them- ' 
selves to their quarters to prepare their several companies for the inspection [ 
of the major in command of the cantonment. I 

I 


CHAPTER X. 


CASA DEL CORVO. 


The estate, or “ hacienda,” known ns Casa del Corvo, extended along tho " 
wooded Ixittom of tho Leona River for more than a Ic-gue, and twice that! 
distance southwards across tlie contiguous ]>rairie. 

'I'he house itself — usually, though not correctly, styh d the hacienda — stood 
within long cannon range of Fort Inge ; from which its white walls were 
partially visible; the remaining jiortion being shadowed by tall forest trees 
that skirted the banks of the stream. 

Its site was peculiar, and no doubt chosem with a view to defence: for its 
foundations had been hud at a time when Indian assailants might be ex- 1 
pected : as indeed they ini,ght be, and often are, at the present hour. ; 

There was a curve of the river closing uixm itself, like a shoe of a race! 
horse, ns tho arc of a circle, the parts comjdetc ; the chonl of which, or a^ 
parallelogram traced ujwn it, might be taken as the ground-plan of the^ 
dwelling. Hence the name — Casa del Corvo— " the House of tho Curve ”, 
(curved river.) ! 

The facade or entrance side, fronted towards the prairie— the latter fonn-| 
ing a noble lawn that exten’erl to the edge of the horizon — in comparison! 
with which an imperial park would liave shrunk into the dimensions of aj 
paddock. | 

The architecture of Casa del Corvo, like that of other largo countryj 
mansions in Mexico, was of a stylo that might he termed Morisco-Mexican:| 
being a simple storj' in height, with a flat rriof — azotea — spouted and parapet-f- 
ed all aronnd; having a courtyard inside the .'alls, term^ patio, open to the^ 

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.■' -.iF- '^‘*' »* An# I 


THE HEADLESS HOUSEMAN. 


54 


: *ky wit!i a fl.wr, a f.)untiun, and a stone stairway Icadin;? up to the 

i — tl*'! sa^uan with a raiu«sLve woodou door 

I Htudiied with bolt licads ; and two or three windows Dn eacli side’ 

delend.'d by a ffniieot stronjr iron l.ars, called re^a. These are t!ie chief 
I characteristics ol a Mexican hacienda ; and Casa del Cnrvo differed but little 
‘ Anieric i universal throiifjhout the vart territories of Spanish 

Such was the hornestead that adorne<l the newly accpiired estate of the 
: Louisiana planter — that had be(;.)iiii* his property bv imrcliase. 

, As yet no cliaie^e had tak. n place in the interior of the dwelling • not 
I much m its interior, if we except thr pasotinrl of its occujtants. A plivsioij. 
innip, liilt An^lo-Saxon, halt '(• raiico-Ainerican. pn^sented its.;lf in court- 
, yard and corridor, where forinerly were s.-en only faces of jnire Spanish type • 
an I instea.l ,>t the ricli s .noro.is laiiffua^re nf Andalusia, was now lieanl flio 
ii.ii-s.ier guttural of a seini-Teiiioinc ton»ruo— occasionally diversified bv the 
I sweeter accentuation of (,'reolian French. 

’'r villagediko cluster of vucctw 

thatc.ied huts which forinerly frave housinjr to the pcom and other dt’-pend- 
ants ot tho hacienda— the trans orination was morestrikinjj. Where the tall 
tain in bro.id-bri mined hat of black jrhize, and cheijuered scrape, 

strode proudly over the sward— his spurs tinklinjr at every step -was now 
' “ overseer,” in blue jersey, or blanket coat-hi.s whip crack- 

Vl ’i "'•U'-re the red children of Azteca and Anahuac, scantily 

i 1 i . '^'■en, with sad solemn aspect, lounmnc 

. .-tl.a.ly by th«*ir j^r„l(s, or trottinj; silently alonp:. were now heard tho 

niffht chattering? their 
or with sonjf and dance seemingly contradicting the idea: 
taut slavery is a heritage of unhappiness! ^ 

>a3 it a change fir the better upon the estate of Casa del Corvo ? 

I here was a time when the people of England would have answered— no • 

\ rev “ unanimity and emphasis calculated to drown all disbelief in their ein- 

weakne.ss and hyi>ocrisy ! Our long cherished sympathy 

^ ith the slave proves to have been only a tissue of sheer dissembling. Led 

| ..y an oligarchy— not tho true aristocracy of our country : for these are too 
ooblo to have yielde.l to such deep designing— but an oligarchy comixised 
*t conspiring plebs, who have smuggled themselves into the first places of 
power in all the four estates— guided by these prurient conspirators against 
|t 10 peoples rights— England has pniven untrue to her creed so loudly pro- 
'ClaimcHl— truculent to the trust reposed in her by the universal acclaim of 
tuc nations. 

****** 

On a (heme altogether different dwelt tho thoughts of Louise Poindexter 
vS she nung hors-lf into a chair in front of her dressing-glass and directed 
,Uer maid l-lorin la to prejiare her for tho reception of guests — e.xpc*cted soon 
to arrive at tho hacimida. 

It was the day fixel for the ” h ms --warming,” and about an hour before 
,tn« time npjvuntisl lor dinner to bt! on tho table. This might have 
•xpinned a certain n.stlessn -ss obsi-rvable in the air of the young 
roi’.e— especially observed by Florinda ; but it did not. Tho maid had h5 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


own thoughts about the cause of her mistres.'<’s disipiietude — as was proved 
by the conversation that ensued between them. 

Scarce could it be called a conversation. It was more as if the young 
lady were thinking aloud, with her attendant actingas an echo. During all 
her life, the Creole had Is-en accustomed to look iiiion her sable handmaid as 
a thing from whom it was not worth while concealing her thoughts, any 
more tlian she would from the chairs, the table, tho sofa, or any other article 
of furniture in tho ajiartment. There was but tho dilfi-n-uce of Florinda 
la-ing a little more animated and companionable, and tho advantage of her 
being able to give a vocal resjKmse to the observations addressed to her. 

For till! first ten minutes after entering the chamber, Florinda had sus- 
taineil the brunt of the ilialogue oii iiiditfcrent topics — her mistress only 
interfering with an occasional ejaculation. 

“Oh, Miss IjO.K-y !” pur -lied the n<-gre.ss, as her fingers fondly playinl 
among the lustrous tresses of her young mistress’s hair, " how bewful you 
hair am! Like do long ’ Danish moss dnt hang from <le cyprus-tree ; only 
dat it am ob a difT rent colour, an’ shine like the sugar houise’ lasses.” 

As already stated, Louise Poindexter was a Cn-ole. After that, is 
8 arce necessary to say that her hair was of dark colour ; and — as the sable 
maid in rude S|)eech had expressed it — luxuriant ns Spanish moss. It was 
not black ; but of a rich glowing brown — such as may bo observed in the 
tinting of a tortoise-shell, or the coat of a winter-tra])|M-d sable. 

“ All 1 ” continued Florinda, spreading out an immense “ hank ” of the 
hair, that glistemxl like a chestnut against her dark palm, “ if I had dat 
lubbly hair on ma head, in'tead ob dis cuss'd cully wool, I fetch em all to 
ma feet — ebbry one ob dem.” 

“ What do you mean, girl?” inquired the young lady, ns if just aroused 
from some dreamy reverie, “ What’s that you’ve been saying? Fetch them] 
to your fi-et ? Fetch whom ? " | 

“ Na, now ; you know what dis chile mean ?” 1 

“ ’Pon honour, I do not.” 

" Make em lub me. Dat’s what I should hab say.” 

" But whom ?” 

“ All the white gcnTm. Do young planter, do ofTicer ob l>o Fort — all ob 
dem. Wif you hair, Miss Ijooey, I could dem all make conquess.” 

" Ila — ha — ha !” laughed the young lady, amusinl at the idea of Florinda 
figuring under that magnificent chevelure. “ You think, with my hair 
upon your head, you would be invincible among the men ?” 

“ No, missa — not your hair alone — but wif you sweet face — you skin, 
white us de alnmbaster — you tall figga — you grand look. Oh, Miss Looey, 
you am so ’plendidly bewful ! I hear de white geuTm say so. I no ne^ 
hear em say it. I see dnt for masef.’’ 

“ You’re learning to flatter, Florinda.” 

“ No ’deed missa — ne’er a word ob flattery — ne’er a word, I swa it. By de 
'postles, I swa it.” 

'Fo one who looked upon her mistress, the earnest asseveration of the 
maid was not necessary to prove the sine -rity of her s|)eech, however hy- 
perbolical it might appear. To say that I/uiiso PoindexD r was lieautiful, 
would only bo torejieat the unive sal venlict of the society that surrounded 
her. A single glance was sufficient to satisfy any one upon this point— t 








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56 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


^ stran/fers aa well as acquaintances. It was a kind of Iwauty that needed 

I no ditewering — and yet it is difficult to de.scribe it. TJie pen cannot jwrtray 

>' such a faco. Even the pencil could convey but a faint idea of it : for no 

> painter, however skilled, could represent upon cold canva.s the (jlowinjf 

) ethereal light that emanated from her eyes, and appeared to radiate over 

i her countenance. Her features were purely classic : resembling those types 

; of female beauty chosen by Phi' ias or Praxiteles. And yet in all the 

I Grecian Pantheon there is no face to which it could have been likened : for 

I it was not the countenance of a goddess ; but, something mo e attractive to 

I the eye of man, the face of a woman. 

A suspicion of sensuality, apparent in the voluptuous curving of the 
I lower lip— still more pronounced in the prominent rounding beneath the 
cheeks — while dej)riving the countenance of its jiuro spiritualism, di l not 
! rerhaps detract from its beauty. There are men, who, in this departure 

, from the divine type, would have perceived a superior charm ; since in 

I liOuiso Poindexter tiiey would have seen not a divinity to be worshipped 

! but a woman to bo loved. 

! Her only reply vouchsafed to Florinda’s earnest asseveration was a laugh 
! — careless, though not incredulous. The young Creole did not need to bo 

reminded of her beauty. She was not unconscious of it : as could be told 
' by her taking more than one long look into the mirror before which her 
! toilet was being made. The Hatter}' of the negroes scarce called up an 
; emotion ; certainly not more than she might have felt at the fawning of a 

I pet spaniel ; and slu^ soon afttT surrendered herself to the reverie from 

which the speech ha<l arousinl her. 

Florinda was not silenced by observing her mistress’s air of abstraction. 
'''tTho girl had evidently something on her mind — some mystery, of which 
aho desired the eclnirci.wmmt — and was determmed to have it. 

“ Ah !” she continued, as if talking to herself ; “ if Florinda had half do 
charm ob young missa, she for nobody care — she for noborly heave do deep 
sigh !” 

I “ Sigh 1” repeated her ndstress, suddenly startletl by the speech. “ Wliat 
do you meon by that’” 

; “ P«' (lieu. Miss Ii(K>ey, Florinda no so blind you tink ; nor so deaf neider. 

She you see long time sit in de same place ; you nebbor ’f)eak no word — you 
only heave de sigh— do long deej) sigh. You nobba do dat in do ole plant- 
I ashun in Loozyanny.” 

I “ Florinda ! I fear you are taking leave of your senses, or have left them 
' behind you in Louisiana ? Perhaps there's something in the climate here 
’ that affects you. Is that so, girl ?” 

i " Pa’ dieu. Miss Looey, dat question ob yourself ask. You no ho angry 
case I ’peak so plain. Florinda you slave — she you lub like brack sisser. 
She no ^ppy hear you sigh. Dat why she hab take do freedom. You no 
be angry wif mo ?” 

“ Certainly not. Why should I Im) angry with you, child ? I’m ncJk. 1 
didn’t say I was ; only you are quite mistaken in your ideas. What you’ve 
1 st'en, or heard, could be only a fancy of your own. As for sighing, heigho I 
I have sometliing else to think of just now. I have to en'ortain about a 
hundred guests — nearly a l strangers, too ; among them the young planten 
and officen whom you would entangle if you had my hair. Ila ! hr 1 ha I 

I 


i 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


57 


I don’t desire to enmesh them — not one of them 1 So twist it up as you 
like — without the semhlance of a snare in it.” 

“ Oh I Mi^!8 Looey, you so ’peak ‘if” inquired the negress with an air ol 
evident interest. “ You say none ob dem genTm you care for? Dore am 
two, tree, berry, berry, berry, han’som'. One planter dar be, and two ob di* 
officer — all young genTm. You know de tree I mean. All ob dem hab 
be(‘n ’tentive to you. You sure, missa, tain’t one ob dem dat you make 
sigh ?” 

‘‘Sigh again! Hal ha 1 ha! But come, Florinda, we’re losing tim& 
Recollect I’ve got to bo in the drawing-room tir receive a hundred guesta 
I must have at least half an hour to comjxjse myself into an attitude befiu 
ting such an extensive reception.” 

“ No fear. Miss Looey — no fear. I you toilette make in time— plenty ol 
time. No much trouble you dress. Pa' dieu, in any dress you look ’plcndid 
You be de belle if you dress like one ob de Her hand ob the plantashun.” 

“ What a flatterer you are grown, Florinda ! I shall begun to suspect 
that you’re alter some favour. Do you wish me to intercede, and make up 
your quarrel with Pluto?” 

“ No, missa. I be friend nebber more wid Pluto. He show hisseff such 
great a)ward when come dat storm on <!e brack prairee. Ah, Miss Looey I 
what we boaf do if dat young white genTm on de red hoss no come ridin’ 
dat way?” 

“ If he had not, cher Florinde, it is highly probable neither of us should 
now have been here.” 

"Oh, missal wasn’t ho real fancy man, dat 'ere? You see him Ijowful 
lh<Je. . You see him thick hair, jess do colour ob your own — only curl<Kl lectio ' 
bit like mine. Talk ob de young planter, or dem officer at de Fort I De 
brack folk say he no good for nullln, like dem — ho only poor white trash. 
Who care fo’ dat? He am do sort ob man could dis chile make sigh. Ah! 
do berry, berry sort !” 

Up to this point the young Creole had pn'serred a certain tranquillity of 
counUmance. She tfied to continue it ; but the effort failed her. Whether 
by i^ident or design, Florinda had touched the most sensitive chord in the 
spirit of her mistress. 

She would have been loth to confess it, even to her slave ; and it was a 
jclief to her. when loud voices heard in the c mrt-yard gave a colourable 
excuse for terminating her toilette, along with the deli<^te dialogue upon 
which she might have been constrained to enter. 


CHAPTER XI. 

AN tJNEXPKCrrED ARUrVAL. 

"Say, ye durnationed nigger I whar’s yur master?” 

" Maas Poindex’er, sar ? De ole massr, or do young ’un ?” 

“ Young un bo durned I I mean Mister Peintdexter. 'Wlio else shed I T 
Whar air lie ?” 

IIo~ho ! ear I dey am boaf at homo— dat is, dey am bonf away from d* 
h<>u*«>— de ole massr an’ do young Massr Ilenrv. Doy am down do ribber, 
wha de folk am makin’ de new fence. Ho ! Im I you find cm dar.” 



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THE IIKADLKS3 UOliSEJdAU. 




“Down llio river I How fur d’ye reck’n V” w . , 

“ IIo I lio ! Bur. Dis nigga rccU’u it be ’bout tree or lour milo— dat at dfl 

Three or four milo ? To mu-t bo a dumationed fool, iiiggcr. Mister 
Peiutdestcr’s idantation don’t go th(!t fur ; an I ri ck n lie uin t the man to 
l>o makin’ a fence on soine'dy elses clurin . Lookee hyur l '' time air 
ho exiH'Cied hum ? Ve’vo got a straighter idee o’ thet, I hojw 1 

" Dev l>oaf ’nected homo berry soon, do young nuiBsr and do ole raassr, 
and Mass Ca’houn too. Hoi ho! dar’s agwino to be big dotun’s ’bout die 
vnr Bhantv— yer see dat fo’ yeBotf by do smell oh do kitchen. Ho 1 ho 1 All 
Lrls o’ gran’ feassin’-do rous’ an’ do bile, an’ do barbecciuo ; do ijot-pies, an 
do chicken fixins. Ho 1 ho 1 ain’t thar agwino to go it hyar jess like do o o 
times on do coass ob do Massipiiy 1 Hoora fo olo Mass Poindex er 1 Ho de 
right sort. Ho 1 hoi ’trangerl why you no holla too : you no Inond ob do 

“ Durn y«)U, nigger, don’t yo rememl>er mo ? Now I look into yur ugly 

“““Gormmightyrtiun’t Mass ’Tiuni*— 't use to fotch de von’son an’ do 
turkey gobbla to do olo ])lantashiin '! By do jumbo, it am, tho . Law, Mass 
Tump dis nigga ’members you like it wade day a oro yesta^rday. Iso 
hoern you called do tnider day ; but 1 war away from bout do place I m 
do coac'hinan now-dribes do carriage dat carri. s do lady ob do tabhshment 
!ilo bewful Missy Isx). Lor, massr, she berry fine gal. Doy do say sho 
. W Aorinday into fits. Nebba mind. Mass 'Tump you better wai till olo 
nmssr come homo. He am to be hya in do shortess poss blc time. 

•• Wnl if thet’s so. I’ll wait ui>on him,” rejoined tho hunter, leisurely 
liftimr his leg over tlio saddle— in which up to this time ho had retained his 
seat “ Now- olo fellur,” he added, passing the bridle into the hands of the 
negro “you gi’o tlio marr half a dozen yeers o’ com out o’ the crib. I ve 
rid the critter lietter ’n a score o’ miles like a streak o ^lightnin all to uo 

yur master a service.” , . , • r n j 

“Oh Mr. Zi'bulon Stump, is it you?” exclaimed a silveiy voice, followed 

by th»> apix'aranco of Ismiso Poindexter upon tho verandah. 

“ I thou-dit it was,” continual tho young lady, coming up to the railings, 
“ though f didn’t expect to see vou so soon. You said you were going upon 
a long journey. Well— I am jdeased that you are here ; and so will papa 
and Henry 1 m\ Pluto! go instantly to (liloe, the cook, and see what she 
can o-ivo vou for Mr. Stumi>’s dinner. You have not dined, I know. You 
are dusty— you’ve be.‘:i travelling? Here. Florinda! Haste you to tho 
sidelioanl, and pour out souu* drink. Mr. Stump will be thirsty, I m 
this hot dav. What would you prefer— p^»rt. sherry, claret ? Ah, now, if I 
recollect vou usimI to be partial to Monongahela whisky. I tliink there is 
Rome. Florinda, sec if there Im- 1 Step into tho verandali, dear Mr. Stump, 
and take a seat. You were inquiring for ]>ana? exix'ct liim homj every 

minute. I shall try to entertain you till ho come.” 

Had the voung ladv paused sooner in her speech, she would not hnve_ re- 
ceived an immediate reply. Even ns it was. some seconds elapsed before 
Zeb made rejoinder. He stood gazing upon her. as if struck speechless by 

tho sheer intensity of his admiration. , - i i,— 

“ Lord o’ marcy. Miss Lewazo ?” he at length gasped forth, I thort wheB 


T IE HEADLESS HOKSEMAK. 


53 


i UBO<i to see you on the Ma-ssissippi, ye war tho puttiest critter on iho airth 
but LOW, I think ye tiie puniest tiling eyiher on aiitti or in hewing, (ieo 
hosofat I” 

Tlie old hunter’s praise was scarce exaggerated. Fresh from the toilette, 
the gloss of her luxuriant hair untarnished by the action of the atinosplierJ ; 
her cheeks glowing with a carmine tint, produced hy the application of 
cold water ; her fine figure, gracefully draped in a robe of India tiiuslin— 
white and seuii-translucent — certainly did Louise Poindexter appear as pret- 
ty as anything uixm earth — if not in heaven. 

“ Oeehosofut 1” again exclaimed tho hunter, following up his complimen- 
tary speech, “ I hev in my time seed wliat I thort war some putty critters o’ 
the sheeinalo kind — my ole ’ooinan herself wnrn’t so bad-lookin’ when 1 fust 
kiiu acrost her in Kainiuck — thet she warn’t. But I will say this. Miss 
Lewuze : ef the puttiest bits o’ all o’ them war clipped oui an’ then joined 
thegither agin, tliey wud'nt make up the tliousandtli part o’ an angel sech 
as you.” 

“Oh — oh— oh I Mr. Stump — Mr. Stump! I’m astonished to hear yow talk 
in this manner. Texas has quite turned you into a courtier. If you go on 
80 , 1 fear you will lose your cliaracter for plain speaking 1 After that I am 
sure you will stand in need of a very big drink. Haste, Florinda 1 1 think 
you said you would prefer whiskey ?” 

“ Ff I didn’t say it 1 thunk it ; and that air about tho same. Yur right, / 
miss, I prefur tho corn afore any o’ tltem furrin lickers ; an’ I sticks to it / 
wliuriver 1 kin git it. Texas hain’t made no alterashuu in me in the matter! 
o’ lickerin’.” V* 

“Mass ’Tump, you it hub mix wif water?” inquired Florinda, coming 
forward with a tumbler about one-half full of “Monongahela.” 

“ No gurl. Durn yer water 1 I hev bed enuf o’ thet siuco I started this 
mornin’. I hain’t hp.d a taste o licker the hul day — ne'er os much as the 
smell o’ it.” 

“Dear Mr. Stump! surely you can’t drink it that way? Why it will 
burn your throat 1 Have a little sugar or honey along with it ?” 

“ Six:il it, miss. It air sweet enut ’ithout that sort o* docterin’; 'specially 
arter you hev looked inter the glass. Yu’ll see ef I can’t drink it. Hyur 
goes to try.” 

Tlie old hunter raised the tumbler to his chin ; and after giving three 
gulps, and the fraction of a fourth, returnixl it empty into the hands of 
Florinda. A loud smacking of the lips almost drowned the simultaneous 
exclamations of astonishment uttered by tho young lady and her maid. 

“ Burn ray throat, ye say ? Ne’er a bit. It bez jest eiled thet ore j ugew- 
lar, an’ put it in order for a bit o’ a palaver I wants to hev wi’ yur father — 
'bout that ere spotted mow-staug.” 

“ Oh, true I I had forgotten. No, I hadn’t either ; but I did not suppose 
you had time to have news of it. Have you heard anything of the pretty 
creature?” 

“ Putty critter ye may well pernounce it. It ur all o’ thet. Besides iv 
or a maar.” “Ama-arl What’sthat, Mr. Stump! J don’t understand.” 

“ A maar I sayed. Surely ye know what a maar is ?” 

“ Ma-a-a — ina-a-r I Why, no, not exactly. Is it a Mexican word ? J/hr in 
Spanish signifies the sea.” 





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THE HEADLESS IIOPSEMAN. 


'• In coorse it air n Mixikin maar — all mowstanjfs air. Tliey air all on 
%;ni o’ u breed as wur onccst brought over from some Eu-rc|ican country by 
tlie fuBt o’ them as settled in these hjnir parts — h'esewise 1 hev heem so.” 

"Still, Mr. Stump, I do not comprehend you. What makes this mustang a 
ma-a-r ?” 

“ What makes her a maart ’Case she ain’t a host; thet’s what make it, 
Miss Peintdexter.” 

" Oh — now — I — I think I comprehend. But did you say you have heard 
of the animal — I mean since you left us ?” 

" Ileern o’ her, seed her, an’ feeled her.’’ 

" Indeed 1” 

" She air grupped.” 

“ Ah, cau'/ht I what capital news I I shall lx* so delighted to see the 
beautiful thing; and ride it too. I haven't hail a horse worth a piece of 
orange-peel since I've been in Texas. Papa has promised to purchase this 
ono for mo at any price. But who is the lucky individual who accomplished 
the capture ?” 

" Ye mean who grupped the moar ?” 

“Yes — yes — who?” 

" Why, in coorse it wur a mowstanger.” 

" A mustanger ?” 

“ Ye-es — an’ such » cuw us thu' ain't another in all these purayras — eyther 
to ride a hoss, or throw a laryitt over one. Ye may talk about yur Mexi- 
kinsl I never seed neery Mexikin ke<l manage hoss-doin’s like that young 
fellur; an’ thur ain’t a drop o’ thur pisen blood in his veins. lie ur es 
white cs I am myself.” 

“ Ills name ?” 

Wal, es to th% name o’ his family, that I never hocrn. Ilis Christyun 
name air Maurice. He’s knowed up thur ’bout the Fort as Maurice the 
mowstanger.” 

The old hunter was not sufficiently observant to take note of the tone of 
eager interest in which the question had lx*en naked, nor the sudden dee|)en- 
ing of colour upon the checks of the questioner as she heard the answer. 

Neither had escaped the observation of Florinda. 

“ La. Miss Looey ! exclaimed tho latter, " shoo dat de name oh de bravo 
young white genTra — he dat us save from being smodered on de brack 
prainM ?” 

Gi«whoaofat, yes I ” resumed tho hunter, relieving the young lady from 
the neci*ssity of making reply. “ Now I thin't o’t, he told me o’ thet suck- 
umatanat this very mornid, afore we started. lie air the same. Thet’s the 
very fellur es hev trapped spotty ; an he air toatin’ the critter along at this 
eyedentical miunit, in kump’ny wi’ alwut a dozen others o’ the same cav ^ 
yuni. Ho oughter 1x3 hyur afore sundown. I i)ushed my ole maar ahead, 
so’s to toll yur father tho spotty war comin,’ and let him git the fust chance 
o’ buyin’. I know’d as how thet ere bit o’ hosdoin’s don’t get druv fur into 
the ^ttlements eforo somob’dy snaps her up. I thort o’ you Mias Lewoze 
and how ye tuk on so when I tolt ye’ bout tho critter. Wal, make yur 
mind eezy ; ye shall hev tho fust chance. Ole Zeb Stump ’ll be yur bail for 
thet.” 

" Oh, Mr Stump, it is so kind of you ! I am very, very grateful. You will ' 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 






f 

t 




now excuse me for a moment. Father will soon l>o back. Wo have\ 
dinner-party to day ; and I have to prepare for reciuving a great many i>eo.V^ 
pie. Florinda, see that Mr. Stump’s luncheon is set out for him. Oo girl- 
go at once alx)ut it ! ” 

" And, Mr. Stump,” continued the young lady, drawing nean-r to the hun 
ter, and sja-aking in a more sulxluf-d tone of voice, “ if the yoimg — young 
gentleman should arrive while tho other jjeoplo are here — jarrhajis ho do nt 
Liow them— will you see that he is not neglected ? There is wine yonder, 
in tho vcranilah, and other things. You know what 1 mean, dear Mr 

Stump?” , , , , , . 

" Burned if I do. Miss Lcw.ize ; that air not adzuckly. I km unnerstan 
all thet ere ’bout the licker an other fixins. But who air the young gen’leman 
yur speakin’ o’ ? Thet’s tho thing as bamboozles me.” 

" Surely you know who I mean ! The yomig gentleman— the young man 
who, you s"av, is bringing in the horses.” 

“Oh! ah I Maurice the mowstangerl That’s it, is it? Wal, I reck’n yur 
not a hundred mile astray in calling him a gen’leman ; tho’ it ain’t offen- 
er a mowstanger gits thet entitlement, or desarves it eyther. He air one, 
every inch o’ him— a gen’leman by barth, breed, an, raisin’ — tho’ he air a 
hoss-hunter, an’ Irish at thet.” 

Tho eyes of Ix)ui8e Poindexter sparkled with delight as she listened to 
opinions so ]x'rfectly in unison with her own. 

“ I must tell ye, howsomdiver,” continued the hunter, as if some doubt, 
had come across his mind, “ It won’t do to show thet ’ere young feller any 
sort o’ second-hand hospcrtality. As they used to say on the Massissippi, h<3 
air ‘as proud as a Peintdexter. Excuse me. Miss Lewaze, for letting’ tluo 
word slip. I didn’t think o’t thet I war talkin’ to a Peintdexter— not tho 
proude.st, but the puttiest o’ the name.” 

" Oh, Mr. Stum]) I you can say what you please to me. You know that I 
could not 1)0 offijnded with you, you dear old giant I ” 

" He’d bo meaner than a dwurf es ked eyther say or do anj-thing* to 
offend you, miss.” 

“ Thanks ! thanks ! I know your honest heart— I know your devotion. 
Perhaps some time — some time, Mr. Stump”— she spoko hesitatingly, but 
apparently without any definite meaning — “ I might stand in need of your 
friendship.” 

“ Ye won’t need it long afore ye git it, then ; thet ole Zeb Stump kin 
promise ve, Miss Peintdexter. He’d l)o stinkincr than a skunk, an’ a biirger 
coward than a coyoat, es wouldn’t stan’ by sech as you, while there wur a 
bottle-full o’ breath left in tho inside o’ his body.” 

" A thousand thanks — again and again 1 But what were you going to 
say ? You Bjx)ko of second-hand hosi)itality ?” 

" I dud.” 

“ You meant — ? ” • - 

“ I meaned thet it ’ud bo no use o’ inviting Matirico the mow^tanp^er 
eyther to eat or to drink unner this hyur roof. Unless yur father do that, 
the young fellur ’ll go ’ithout tastin’. You unnerstan. Miss Ixjwaze, ha 
ain’t one o’ thet sort o’ poor whites as kin bo sent around to tho kitchen."* 

The young Crcc)le stood for a second or two, without making n-jo’indez 



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THR HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


J 


/Shn apjw'iired to be oocupi**!! with some abstruco calculation, that ^ng^rossed 
tho whole of licr thoughts. 

" Never mind about it,” she at length wud , in a tone that told the calcu- 
latiou coiui>leted. “ Never mind, Mr. Stump. You need not invite him. 
Onlv let me know wlien he arrives — unless we be at dinner, and then of 
t our8<-, ho would not exiaft any one to ui)i)ear. But if he thould come at 
that time, you detain him — won’t you ?” 

“ Bonn’ to do it, ef you bid me.” 

“ You Will, then ; and let me know he is here. /sV.all ask him to eat.” 

” Ef yedo, miss,I reek'n ye'll spoil his apisdite. The sight o’ you, to say 
nothin’ o’ listenin’ to your luehMlyus voice, ud cure a starvin’ wolf o’ bein’ 
Iiungry. When 1 kim hyur 1 war jieckish enuf to swaller a raw buAzart. 
Neow 1 don’t care a diirn ulK>ut ealin’. 1 ked go ’ithout chawin’ meat for a 
mouth.” 

A.s this exRggeniDHl cha))ter of euiihemism was responded to by a peal of 
clear ringing laughter, the young lady pointed on the other side of the patio, 
where her maid was seen emerging from the “ cocina,” carrying a light tray 
followed t)y Pluto with one of the broader dimensions, more heavily 

weighU'd. ^ 

“ You great giant ! ” was the reply, given in a tone of sham reproach ; ‘ I 

won’t belive you have lost vour apjjetite, until you have eaten Jach. Yon- 
der come Pluto and Florinda. They bring something that will prove more 
cheerful company than I so I shall leave you to enjoy it. Good bye, Zeb— 
Vo<Ki bye, or, as the natives say here, J{a»in lutgo i 

» Gaily were these words spoken — lightly did Louise Poindexter trip back 
aieross the covered corridor. Only after entering her chamber, and finding 
-'Herself ehrz not mcme, did she give way to a reflection of a more senoiM 
character, that found expression in words low murmured, but full of mystic 

meaning: — . , , . j » t 

“ It is my destiny: I feel — I know’ that it is! I dare not meet, and yet 1 

cannot shim it — I may not — I would not— I will ml 


(’IIAPTER XII. 

TAMING A WILD MARE. 

The pleasantest apartment in a Mexican house is that which has the roof for 
its rt*x>r, and the sky for its ceiling — the azotea. In fine weather— -ever fine 
in that sunnv clime— it is preferred to the drawing-room: esiiecially after 
dinner, when the sun liegins to ca«t rose-coloured rays ui^n tlm snow-clad 
summits of Orizava, Popocatepec, Toluca, and the Twm Sister; when 
the rich wines of Xeresand Madeira have warmed the imaginations ot An- 
dalusia’s sons and daughters— descendants of the ConquisUdorcs— who 
mount up to their house-tops to look upon a land of worid-wide renown, 
rendered famous bv the heroic achievements of their ancestors. 

Then does the Mexican " cavallero,” clad in embroidered habiliments, ex- 
hibit his splendid exterior to the eyes of some senonta— at l^e same time 
puffing the amok® of his paper cigarito against her cheeks. Then does th# 


tHK HBADLKS8 HORSEMAN. 


G3 


dark-cved don.».lla favourably listen to soft whisperings; or perhaps only 
pretends to I'steL, while, with heart distraught, and eye wandering away, 
she sends stealthy glances over the plain towards some distant hacienda— 
the homo ot him s le truly loves. 

So enjoyable a fashion, as that of spending the twilight hours uiwn the 
housetop, could not fail to lie followed by any one who chanciHl to be the 
occupant of a Mexican dwelling ; and the family of the Louisiana planter 
had adoptml it, as a matter of course. 

On that same evening, after the dining-hall had been deserted, the roof. 
Instead of the drawing-room, was chosen as the place of re-n.«8emblage ; and 
as the sun descended towards the horizon, his slanting rays fell uiwu a 
throng as gay, a.s cheerful, and |M*rhai»s as resplendent, as ever trod iho 
azotea of Ca.sa ’del Oorvo. Moving alwutover its te.<sellated tiles, standing 
in scAtterod groups, or lined along the paraiiet with laces turned tow arils the 
plain, were w'omen as fair and men as brave as had eier assembled iin that 
same spot — even when its ancient owner used to distribute hospitality to the 
hulalgos of the land— the hluent blood in Coahuila and Texas. 

Tlio company now collected to welcome the advent of \\ oi^ley Poin- 
dexter on his Texan estate, could also boast of this last distinction. They 
were the elite of the Settle.ments— not only of the Leona, but of others more 
distant. There were guests from Gonzales, from Cartroville, and even from ^ 
San .\ntonio — old friends of the planter, who, like him, had sought a home/ 
in South-Western Texas, and who had ridden — some of them over a hun. 
dred miles— to bo present at this, his first grand “ reception.” ^ 

The planter had spared neither pains nor expense to give it eclat. ^Vllat 
with the sprinkling of uniform and ejiaulettes, supplied by the Foi-t — what 
with the bra.ss band borrowed 'rom the same couvenient repository — what 
with the choice wines found in the cellars of Casa del Corvo, and which had 
formed part of the jiurchase — there could bo little lacking to mako Poin- 
dexter’s party the most brilliant ever given uism the banks of the lamna 

And to ensure this effect, his lovely daughter Louise, late belle of 
Louisiana — the fame of whose beauty hail been before her, even in Texas — 
acted as mistress of the ceremonies — moving about among the ailrairing 
guests with the smile of a queen, and the grace of a goddess. 

On that occasion was she the cynosure of a hundred pairs of eyes, the 
happiness of a score of hearts, and perha])S the torture of as many more : 
for not all were blessed who beheld her beauty. 

Was she herself happy? 

The interrogatory may appear singular — almost absurd. Stirroundeil by 
friends — admirers — one, at least, who adored her — a dozen whose incipient 
love could but end in adoration — young planters, law’yers, embryo states- 
men, and some with reputation already achieved — sons of Mara in. aniiour, 
or with armour late laid aside — how could she be otherwise than proudly, 
supremely happy ? 

A stranger might have asked the question ; one snperficially acquainted 
with Creole diaracter — ^moro especially the character of the lady in quee- 
♦^on. 

But mingling in that splendid tlirong was a man who was no stranger to 
either ; and who, perhaps, more than any one present, watched her every 



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THE HEADLESS HOUSEMAN. 


movement: and endeavoured more than any other to interpret its meaning 
Cassius Calhoun was the individual thus occupied. 

She went not hither, nor thither, without his following her — not close, 
like a shadow; but by stealth, flitting from place to place: upstairs, ai^ 
downstairs ; standing in corners, with an air ot ap})arent abstraction ; but ufl 
' the while with eyes turned askant upon his cousin’s face, like a plain-clothes 
I)ol iceman employed on detective duty. 

Strangely enough he did not seem to pay much regard to her speeches 
made in rejdy to the compliments showered upon her by several would-be 
winners of a smile — not even when these were conspicuous and respectable, 
as in the case of young Hancock of the dragoons. To all such he listened 
without visible emotion, as one listens to a conversation in no way aflecting 
the aflairs either of self or friends. 

It was only after ascending to the azotea, on observing his cousin near the 
parepet, with her eye turned interrogatively towards the plain, that his de- 
tective zeal became conspicuous — so much so as to attract the notice of others. 
Morti than once was it noticed by those standing near : tor more than once 
was repeated the act which gave cause to it. 

At intervals, not very wide apart, the yoimg mistress of Cas del Coryo, 
might have been seen to approach the parapet, and hx)k across the plain, 
N with a glance that seemed to interrogate the horizon of the sky. 

\ Why she did so no one could tell. No one pressed to conjecture, except 
'Cassius Calhoun. He had thoughts upon the subject thoughts that were 
:orturing him. 

^ \Mien a groupe of moving forms appeared upon the praine, emerging from 
the garish bght of the setting sun— when the spectators upon the azotea 
pronounced it a drove of horses in charge of some mounted men— the ex 
officer of volunteers had a suspicion as to who was conducting that caval- 

^"^linother appeared to feel an equal interest in its advent, though perhaps 
from a different motive. I^ng before the horse drove had attracted the 
observ’ation of Poindexter’s guestti, his daughter had noted its approach— 
from the time that a cloud of dust soared up against the horizon, so slight 
and filmy as to have escaped detection by any eye not bent epxressly on 

P^m that moment the young Creole, under cover of conver^tion carried 
on amid a circle of fair comi^anions, had been slyly scanning the dusU:loud 
as it drew nearer ; forming conjectures as to what was causing it, upon 
knowledge already, and as she supposed, exclusively, her own. 

“ Wild horses'” announced the major commandant of Port Inge, alter a 
a short inspection through his pocket telescope. "Some one bringing them 

in ’’ he added, a second time raising the glass to his eye. On 1 1 see now 
it’s Maurice the mustanger, who occasionally helps our men to a remount 
He appears to be coming this way— direct to your place, , 

" If it be the young fellow you have named, that s no unlikmy , replied 
the owner of Casa del Corvo. " I bargaineil with him to CAtch me a score 
or two : and maybe this is the first instalment he s bringing me. 

"Yes I think it is,” he added, after a look through the telescope. 

“ I am sure of it,” said the planter’s son. " I can tell the horseman yon- 
der to be Maurice Gerald. ” 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


65 


The planter’s daughter could have done the same ; though she made no 
displayof her knowledge. She did not appear to bti much kiteresteil in the 
matter — indeed, rather indifl’ereiit. S. o had become aw are of being watched 
by that evil eye, constatnly burning upon her. 

The eavollada came up. Maurice sitting handsomely on his horse, with the 
spotted mare at the end of his lazo. 

“ What a beautiful creature !’’ exclaimed several voices, ns the capturt“<l 
mustang was led up in front of the house, quivering with excitement at a 
scene so new to it. 

" It's worth a journey to the ground to look at such an animal I” sugges- 
ted the major’s wife, a lady of enthusiastic inclinings. 

“ 1 propose w e all go down ! What say you, Mies Poindexter ? ” 

“ Oh, certainly,’’ answered the mistress of the mansion, amidst a chorus oi 
other voices crying out, — 

" Let us go down ! Let us go down ! ’ 

Led by the majoress, the ladies filed down the stone stairway — the gentle- 
men after ; and in a score of seconds the horse-hunter, still seated in his sad- 
dle, became, with his captive the centre of the distinguished circle. 

Henry Poindexter had hurried down 'oeforo the rest, and already, in the 
frankest manner, bidden the stranger welcome. 

Betw een the latter and Louise only a slight salutation could bo exchanged. 
F’amiliarity with a horse-dealer — evim supposing him to have had the honour 
of an introduction — would scarce have been tolerated by the “society." 

Of the ladies, the major’s wife alone addressed him in a familiar way ; but 
that was in atone that told of superior position, coupled with condescension.} 
He was more grati fil'd by a glance — quick and silent — when his eye changed 
intelligence with that of the young Creole. 

Hers was not the only on-i that rested approvingly upon him. In truth, 
the mustanger looked splendid, despite his travel-stained habliments. Hi» 
journey of over twenty miles had done little to fatigue him. The ])rairio 
breez(i had freshened tlie colour upon his cheeks ; and his full round throat, 
naked to the bre.ast lione and slightly bronzed with the sun, contributed to 
the manliness of his mein. Even the dust clinging to his curled hair could 
not altogetlier conceal its natural gloss, nor the luxuriance of its growth ; 
while a figure tersely knit told of strength and endurance beyond the ordi- 
nary endowment of man. There w ere stolen glances.endeavouring to catch 
his, sent by more than one of the fair circle. 'The pretty neice of the com- 
missary smiled admiringly ujKin him. Some said the commissary’s wife ; 
but this could be only a slander, to be traced, peihaps, to the doctor’s better 
half — the Lady Teazle of the cantonment. 

" Surely,’’ said Poindexter, after making an examination of the capturetl 
mustang, “ this must be the animal of wliich old Zeb Stump has been tell- 
ing me ?’’ 

“ It ur thet eyedenticul same,” answ-ered the individua'. so described mak- 
ing his wav towards Maurice with the design of a.>^8isting him. " Ye-es, 
Mister Peintdexter; the eyedenticul critter — a maar, es ye kin all see for 
yurselves ’’ 

“ Yes, yes,” hurriedly interiiosed the planter, not desiring any further 
elucidath n. 

" The voung fellur bed grupped her afore I got thur ; so I wur jess in the 







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1 


THH HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


66 

nick o’ time ’boat it. Sho mout a bojn tuck elswhnr, an’ then Miw) Ijowazo 
liiur inout a misawl hevin' her.” 

" It is true indeed, Mr. Stumj)! It was very thoughtful of you. I know 
not how I sliall ever l):j able to reciprocate your kindness?” 

“ Recii>erk te I Wal, I sposc thet air moans to do suthin in return. Yo 
kin do thet, miss, 'ithout much difeiHjuiity. I han’t dud nothin’ for you 
ceptin, make a bit o’ a journey acrost the j)urayra. To see yur iKJwtyful 
self mounttul on thet maar, wi’ yur ploomed hot uiK)n yur head, an’ yur 
long-tailed pettykoto streakin’ it ahint you, ’ud pay old Zeb Stamp to go 
clur to the Rocki(\s, and back agin.” 

“ Oh, Mr. Stump ! you are an incorrigible flatterer I Look around you 1 
you will see miny here more deserving of your compliments than I.” 

“ VVal, wal !” rejoinwl Zeb, casting a look of careless scrutiny towards the 
ladies, “ I ain’t a goin’ to deny thet thur air gobs o’ putty critters hyar — 
dog g.med putty critters ; but es they used to say in ole I^zyannoy, thur 
air but one Lewazo Peintdexter.” 

A burst of laughter — in which only a few feminine voices boro part — was 
the reply t > Zeb’s gallant speech. 

“ I shall owe you two hundred dollars for this,” said the planter, address- 
iag himself to Maurice, and pointing to the spotted mare. " I think that 
was the sum stipulated for by Mr. Stump.” 

” I was not a party to the stipulation,” replied the mustanger with a sig- 
nificant but well-intentioned smile. “ I cannot take your money. She is 
y^mot for sale.” 

\ “ Oh, indeed I” said the planter, drawing back with an air of proud disa{>- 
^)intment ; while his brother planters, as well ns the officers of the Fort, 
■' looked astonished at the refusal of sucii a munificent price. Two hundred 
dollars for an untamed mustang, when the usual rate of price was from ten 
to twenty I The mustanger must l>e mad ? 

He gave thiMU no time to descant ujxm his sanity. 

“ Mr. Poindexter,” he continued, speaking in the same good-humoured 
strain, “you have given me such a generous price for my other captives — 
aud Ixu'ore they were taken too — that I’can afford to make a present — what 
wo over in Ireland call a ‘ luckpenny.’ It is our custom there also, when a 
horse trade hikes place at the house, to give the douteur, not to the purchaser 
hiiiLself, but to one of the fair memliers of liis family. May I liavo your 
pf'rmissiou t*» introduce this Hibernian fashion into the settlements of 
Texas ?” 

“ Certainly, by all means !” responded several voices, two or three of 
them unmistakably with an Irish accentuation. 

“ Oh, certainly, Mr. Gerald!” replied the planter, his conservatism giving 
way to the jiopnlar will — “as you please aisiut that.” 

“ Thanks, gentlemen — thanks I” said the mustanger, with a patronizing 
look towards men who bclieveil themselves to bo his masters. “This mus- 
tang is «iv luck|ienny ; and if Miss Poindexter will condescend to accept of 
it. I shall feel more than repaid for the three days’ chose which the enjaturo 
has cost me. Had she been the most cruel of coquettes, she could scarce 
have lieen more difficult to subdue.” 

“ I accept your gift, sir ; and with gratitude,” responded the young Creole 
— ijf th-j first timo prominently proclaiming herself, and stepping freely 


TIIR HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


67 > 

forth as sho spoke. " But I have a fancy,” sho continued, pointing to the 
mustang — at the same timo that her eye rested inquiringly on the counter 
nance of the mustanger — “a fancy that your captive is not yet tamed ? She 
but trembles in fear of the unknown future. She may yet kick against the 
traces, if she find the harness not to her liking ; and then w'hat am 1 to do 
— jxK)r I ?” 

“ True, Maurice I” said tlio major, widely mistaken as to the m aning of 
the mysterious six'ech, and addressing the o'lly man on the ground who 
could p(>ssibly have comprehended it ; “ Miss Poindexter 8i>eaks very sensi- 
bly. That mustang luus not been tamed yet — any one may see it. Come, 
my good fellow! give her the lesson. 

“ Ladies and gentlemen !” continued the major, turning towards the 
company, “this is something worth your seeing — those of you who have 
not witnesseil the spectacle before. Come, Maurice; mount and show us a 
Bis'cimen of prairie horsemanship. She looks as thouih she would put 
your skill to the test.” 

“You arc right, major : slie does !” replied the mustanger, ivith a quick 
glance, directed not towards the captive (piadrupixl, but to the young 
Creole; who, with all her assumed courage, retired tremblingly behind tho 
circle of sjiectators. 

“ No matter, my man,” pursued tho major, in a tone intended for en- 
couragement. “ In spi'e of that devil sparkling in her eye. 1 11 lay ten to 
one you’ll take the conceit out of her. Try !” 

Without losing credit, the mustanger could not have dt'clincd acceding to 
the major’s request. It was a challenge to skill — to equestrian pniwess — a 
thing not lightly e.stcemed u)>on the ]>r.airie8 of Texas. 

He pr(H‘laime.i his acci-ptance of it by leaping lightly out of his saddle, re- 
signing his own stewl to Zeb Stump, and exclusively giving his attention to 
the caidive. 

'I’lie only preliminary called for was tho clearing of tho ground. 'Fliis 
was i^fTccteil in an instant — tho gnater part of tho company — w'th all tho 
ladies — returning to tho a/.otea. 

With only a piece of raw-hido roiio hK)[K‘d around the un ler jaw, and car 
ried headstall fashion behind the cars — with only one rein in hand — 
Maurice sprang to tho back of the wild marc. 

It was the first timo she had ever been mountisl by man — tho first insult 
of the kind offered to her. 

A shrill spiteful scream spoke plainly her appreciation of and detc'miination 
to resent it. It prociairaed defiance of the athmipt to degrade her to the 
condition of a slave! 

With equine instinct, sho rearetl ujxm her hind legs, for some w'conds 
halancing her Ixxly in an erect position. Her rider, anticipating tho trick, 
had thrown his anns around her neck ; and, close clasping her throat, app<-ar- 
cd part <if herself. But for this she might have {(oised over uixm her back, 
ancl crushed him beneath her. 

Tho uprearingof the hind quarters was tho next trick of tho mustang — 
sure of being tried, and most difficult for tho ridcT to meet without being 
thrown. From sheer conceit in his skill, ho had declined saddle and stirrup, 
that would have stood him instead ; but with these ho could not have claimed 
accomplishment of the boasted feat of tho praires — to tame the naked ttced. 





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lie porfonned it without them. As the mure niiso<l her liind quarters 
aloft, he turned quickly ujwn her hark, thrc'W his anus around the hairel of 
her body, aud restiiifr his toes uixin the angular points of her fore sholders, 
Buccoafully resistctl lier efforts to unhorse hiiii. 

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often foihKi by tl-.C. skill of the iiuistunf'er ; and then ns if conscious that 
such efforts were idle, the enra<red animal ])lun<;ed no lon<rer; but, sjirinpinp 
away from the spot, entered ujion a gallop that appiured to have no goal 
this side the ending or the earth. 

It must have come to an end somewhere ; though not within ■ ight of the 
spectators, who kept their places, waiting for the horsi-damer's return. 

Conjectures that he might be killed, or at the let st, badl}- “ crijijiled,” 
were freely ventured during his absence ; and tlnu'e was one who wished it 
60 . But there was also one upon whom such an event would have ])rod need 
a painful inpre.^sion — almost as painful ns if her <)wu life depended upon 
his safe return. Why Louise Poindexter, daughter of the proud Louisiana 
sugar-planter — a belle — a beauty of more than provincial rej)ute - w ho coitid, 
by simply saying yes, have had for a husband the richest and noblest in the 
land — why she should have fixed her fancy, or even jiennitted lier thoughts 
to stray ujion a isior horse hunter of 'fexns, was a mystery that even her 
own intellect — by no means a weak on<! — was un.able to fathom. 

Perhaps she had not gone so far ns to fix lier fancy upon him. She did 
not think so herself. Had .she thought so, and reflected iqKin it, perhaps 
she would have recoiled from tlio contem]dation of certain consequences, 
that could not have faile<l to jiresent tbeniselv< s to her mind. 

She was but conscious of l aving conceived some strange interest in a 
strange individual — one who haii jireseiiled himself in a fashion that 
favoured fanciful reflections — one who differed essentially from the common- 
place tvpes introduced to her in the world of social distinctions. 

She was conscious too, that this interest — originating in a w’ord, a glance, 
a gesture — listened to, or observed amid the ashes of a burnt prairie — in- 
stead of sub.siding, had ever since b<>en mvin the increase ! 

It was not diminished when Maurice the mustangercame riding back across 
the plain, Aviih the wild mare betweim Ids legs — no more wild — no longer 
desiring to destroy him — but with lowered crest and mien submissiTe, ac- 
knowledging to all ihe world that she had found her master! 

Without acknowledging it to the world, or even to herself, the young 
Creole was inspired with a similar reflection. 

- Miss Poindexter!” said the mustan-jer, gliding to the ground, and with- 
out making an acknowledgment to the plaudits that were showered u|K)n 
1dm— “ may I ask you to step up to her, throw this hizo over lier neck, and 
lead her to the stable? By so doing she Avill regard you has her tamer ; 
and ever after submit to your will, if you but exhibit the sign that first de- 
prived her of her liberty. ” 

A pnule would have paltered with the proposal— a coquette would have 

decliniHi it — a timid girl have shrunk back. r v » 

Not so Ix>uise Poindexter— a descendant of one of the fUcsa-la-catette. 
AVithout a moment’s hesitation — without the slightest show of prudery 
or fear— she stepped forth from the aristocratic circle ; as instructed, took 


THE HEAULE3S HoKBK.MAK. 


09 


hold of the horsehair rope ; whisked it across the neck of the tamed mustang 
and led the captive off towards the caballeriza of Casa del Corvo. 

As she did so the mustangcr’s words were ringing in her ears, and echo 
ing through her heart with a strange foreboding weird signification. 

•' She wiU regard you as her tamer, aud ever after submit to your will, if you but 
exhibit the sign thot first deprived her of her liberty.” 


CHAPTER XIII. 

A PRAIUIE PIC-NIC. 

The first rays from a rosy aurora, saluting the flag of Fort Inge, fell with a 
more subdued light mion an assemblage of objects occupying the parade- 
ground below — in front of the “ officers’ quarters.” 

A small sumpter-W’aggon stood in the centre of the group; having at- 
tached to it a double span of tight little Mexican mules, whoso quick im- 
patient “ stomping,” tails spitefully whisked, and ears at intervals turning 
awry, told that they had been some time in harness, and were impatient to 
move oflf — warning the bystanders, as well, against a too close approxima- 
tion to their heels. 

Literally speaking, there were no bystanders — if we except a man of 
colossal size in blanket coat, and slouch felt hat : who, despite the obscure 
light straggling around liis shoulders, could bo identified as Zeb Stump, the 
hunter. 

Ho was not standing either, but seated astride his “ole raaar,” that 
showed lo.s3 anxiety to be off than either tho Mexican mules or her own 
master. 

The other forms around the vehicle were all in motion — quick, hurried, 
occasionally confused — liither thither, from tho waggon to tho door of tho 
quarters, and back again from tho house to tho vehicle. 

There wore half a scor** of them, or thereabouts ; varied in costume as in 
tho colour of their skin.s. Mo.st were soldiers, in fatigue dress, though of 
different arms of tho .service. Tsvo would bo tak m to lie mcas-cooks; and 
two or three ra >rc, officers’ servants, who had been detailed from the ranks. 

A more legitim.vto specimen of this profession appeareil in the person of a 
wall-dressed darkie, who mov.-d alxmt the ground in a very authoritative 
iHinn -r ; deriving his importance, from Ids office of valet de tout to the major 
m command of tiio cantonment. A sergeant, as shown by his three-barred 
c.ieveron, wxs in charge of the mixed party, directing their movements ; 
the object of which was to load the waggon with eatables and drinkablee— 
in short, the paraphernalia of a pic-nic. 

That it was intended to be upon a grand scale, was testified by the ampli- 
tude and variety of the impedimenta. There were hami)ers and baskets of all 
...tapes and sizes, including the well known parallelopijxidon, enclosing its 
..wolve neck.s of shining silver-lead ; while the tin canisters, painted Spanish 
•irown, along with tho universal sardine-case, jiroclaimed the presence of 
many luxuries not indigenous to Texas. 

However delicate and extensive tho stock of provisions, there was one in 



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THa JlEADLESrt HOUSEMAN. 


tho party of ])Urvoyora wlio did not appear to think it complete. The di» 
satisfied Luculliis wasZ.-i* Stump. 

“ L(K>keo hyur, Burgint,” said he, addresBing himself c<?nfidentially to tho 
individual in charge, “I liaint seed neery smell o’ corn put inter tlie 
Veehicle a.s yit ; an’, I reck’n, tliet out on the purayra, thur’Il bo some folks 
ud pr(;far a Iwtle corn to any o’ thet theer furrin French stuff. Sham-pain, 
ye call it, I b’liovo.” 

“ Prefer corn to champagne ? Tho horses you mean ?” 

" Ilosses be durned. I ain’t talkin’ ’bout hoes corn. I mean M’nonga- 
he(da.” 

“Oh — ah — I comprehend. You’re right about that, Mr. Stump. The 
whisky mustn't bo forgotten. Pomp. I think I saw a jar inside, that’s in- 
tcu(i(-d to go V 

“Yaw-yaw, sngint,” responded tho dark-skinned domestic ; “daramdat 
same wesicle. Ilya it is!” he added lugging a large jar into tho light, and 
swinging it up into the waggon. 

Old Zeb aiipearing to think tho i)acking now complete, showed signs of 
imi»aiienco to be off 

“ Ain’t yo riddy, surgint?” he in(iuin;d, shifting restlessly in his stirrups. 

“ Not quite Mr. Stump. The cook tells mo the chickens want another 
turn u|)on tlio Ht)it, before we can take ’em along.” 

“ Durn the clriekens, an’ the cook too ! What air any dung hill fowl to 
compare wi’ a wild turkey o' the i>iirayrn ; an’ how am I to shoot one, arter 
tho sun hev clomb ten mi'e tip the sky’/ The major sayod I wur to git him 
a gobbl.-r, whafiver shed ha])pen. "J’ain’t so durnationed eezy to kill tur- 
key gobbler arter sun-up, wi’ a elamjamferry like this cornin’ dost upon a 
fellur’b heels? Yemusn’t surpose, surgint, that thet ere bird air as big a 
fool as the sodger o’ a fort. Of all tho cunnin’ critters as ferquonts these 
hyur pur.iyras, a turkey air the cunninest ; an’ to git helf way roun' ono o’ 
’em, yo must bo up along wi’ the sun ; and preehap a leetle urlier.” 

“ True, Mr. Stump, I know tho major wants a wild turkey. He told me 
so ; and expects you to procure ono ou the way.” 

" No doubt ho do ; preehap exjtex mo likeways to purvido him wi’ a 
bullh'r’s tongue, an’ hump — seoin’ as thur ain’t sech a anymat on tho 
purayraso’ f^uitli Texas — nor hain’t been for good twenty yurs pist — not- 
erihstandin’ what Eur-ojM'an writers o’ Itooks hev said to the contrary, an’ 
’8|x-cialiy French ’tins, as I’vo h<>ern. Thur ain’t no huffier ’Iwut hyur’ 
Tliur’s I'oar, an' deer, an’ goats, an’ jdenty o’ gobblers; but to hev one o’ 
thest! critters for yur dinner, ye must git it urly enuf for yur breakfii-st. Un- 
less I hev my own time, I won’t promise to guide yur ]>nrty, an’ git gobbler 
both. So, surgint, ef yo expex yur grand kumpuy to chaw turkey-meat 
this day, ye’ll do wtdl to Ito makin’ tracks for tho purayra.” 

Stirred by the hunter’s representation, tho sergean' did all that was pos. 
sible to hasten the departure of himstdf and his parii-coloured com pany ; 
and, shortly after, the provision train, with Zeb Stump as its guid;, was 
wending its way across tho extensive plain that lies between the Leona and 
tho “River of Nuts.” 

*#♦♦*** 

Tho parade ground hn<l bef-;i cleared of tho waggon and its escort scajrof 


THE IlBAULESa HOUSEMAN. 


n 


twenty niinutes, when a party of somewhat different appearance commenced 
ossembhng ui>on the same sjkA. 

.. ^***1^! homeback ; attended, not by grooms, as at the 

meet in an English hunting-field, but by the geiithmien who were toce- 
company them— their friends and acipiaintances— fathers, brothers, lovers 
and Husbands. Most, if not all, who had figun d at Poindexter’s dinne.’ 
party, were soon upon the ground. 

• planter himself was prestmt ; as al.so his son Henry, his nephew C’as 
sius Calhoun’ and his daughter Louise — the young lady mounted uinm tho 
spotted mustang, that had figured so conspicuously ou tho occasion of the 
entertainment at Casa del Corvo. 

The affair was a recijirocal treat— a simiile return of hosidtalitv ; the 
major and his ofheers being the hosts, the planter and his friends the invited 
guests. The ent* rtainment about to be provided, if less iiretentious in 
luxurious apiKuntments, was equally approj.riate to the time and t.Iace 
1 he guests of the contonment w«>re to 1 k‘ gratified by witnessing a sttectaclo 
■ — grand as rare — a chase of wild steeds 1 
The arena of the siiort could only be uixm the wild-horse prairies— Bomo 
twenty miles to the southward of Fort Inge. Hence the necessity for an 
early start, and being preceded by a vehicle laden with an ample conrnis. 
lariat. * 

Just ns the sunbeams began to dance ujxni tho crystal waters of the 
Leona, the excursionists were ready to take their depait’iire from the parade- 
ground — with an escort of twoscoro dragoons that had been orderetl to ride 
in the rear. Like the party that precetled them tla-y too were i.rovidotl 
with a guide — not an old b.ackwootlsman in battered felt hat. and ^adwi 
blanket coat, astride a scraggy roadster ; but a horseman conn.letclv cos- 
tumed and equipjicd, mounted ujxm a splendid steed, in every way worthy 
to be the ciiaperono of such a distinguishe<l expedition. ^ 

“ ^me, Maurice !” cried tho major, on •lecing th.nt all had assembled 
were reacy to be conducted to the game. Ladi. s and gentl-men ' this 
young fellow is thoroughly acquainted with the haunts and habits of the 
wild horses. If there’s a man in Texas, who can show u, how to hunt 
them, ’tis Maurice the mustanger." 

" Faith, you ffatter me, major!” rejoinetl tho young Irishman, turning 
with a courteous air towanls the company; "1 have not said so much as that 
I can only jtromise to show you where you may them.” 

"Modest fellow I” soliloquized one, who treuible<l. as she gave thought to 
what she more than half suspected to be an untruth. 

" Lead on then 1” commanded tho major ; and, at tho word the gay 
cavalcade, with the mustanger in the lead, commenced moving acr-ss tlio 
parade ground — while the star-spangled banner, unfurled by the morning 
breeze, fluttered upon its staff as if waving them an elegant adieu I 
* * * * ♦ * * 

A twenty-m’ile ride upon prairie turf is a mero- bagatelle— Ix-fore break- 
fast, an airing. In Texas it is so regarded by man, woman, and horst\ 

It was accomplishetl in less than three hours— without further inconveni- 
ence than that which arose from performing tho la.st few miles of it with 
appetites uncomfortably keen. 

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72 


TUJC HEADLESS HORSEMAN*. 


their heels ; and, long before tho sun had attained tho meridian line, the 
excursionists were in f^ull j)ic-nic under the shade of a gigantic jKjcan trce^ 
tliat stood near tho banks of tlie N ueccs. 

Xo incident had occurred on the way — worth recording. Tho mustanger, 
a^ guide, liad ridden habitually in the advance ; the company, with one or 
two exceptions thinking of him only in his oflicial caiiacity — unless when 
startled by some feat of horsemanship — such as leajiing clear over a prairio 
i stream, or dry arruyo, wliich others were fain to ford, or cross by tho crooked 
path. 

There may have been a susiucion of bravado in thi.^ behaviour — a desire 
' to exhibit, Cassius Calhoun told the company there was. Perhaps the ex- 
c iptain Bjioko the truth — fur once. 

I If so, there was also some excuse. Have you ever been in a hunting-field 
1 at homo, with riding habits trailing the sward, and plumoil hats proudly 
: nodding around you ? You have: and then what? Be cautious how you 
i condemn tho Texan mustanger. Betlect, that he, too, was under tho artil- 
lery of bright eyes — a score jiair of them — some ns bright as ever lookixl 
j love out of a lady’s saddle. Think, that Louise Poindexter’s were among 
i the number — think of that, and you will scarce feel surjirised at the ambi- - 
tion to “ shine.” 

There wore others equally demonstrative of jHirsonal accomplishments — 
of prowess that might prove manhootl. 'rhe young dragoon, Hancock, 

■ frequently essayed to show that ho was not new to the saddle ; and the 
lieutenant of mounted ritles, at intervals, strayed from the side of the com- 
; misary’s niece for tho performance of some eciuestrian feat, without looking 
exclusively to her, his reputed sweetheart, as he listened to the whisperings 
of applause. 

' Ah, daughter of Poindexter I wlu-ther in the ta/ms of civilized Louisiana, 
or the prairies of savage Texas, jx'ace could not reign in thy presence I Go 
' where thou wilt, wnnantic thoughts must spring up— wild passions bo ea- 
j gendered around thee 1 


I CHAPTER XIV. 

THE MAN'ADA. 

Had their guide held the prairies in complete control — its denizens subject 
to his secret will — resiwnsiblo to time and place — ho could not have con- 
I <1 noted the excursionists to a spot more likely to furnish the siJort that had 
! summoned them forth. 

! Just as tho sparkling Johannislx'rger— obtainetl from tho German wine- 
stores of San Antonio — had imparted a brighter blue to the sky, and a more 
vivid green to the grass, the cry ” Mustcnos ! ” was heard above the hum 
of conversation, interrupting the halfspoken sentiment, with the peal of 
merry laughter. It came fmm a Mexican vaqiuro, who had been stationed as 
a vidette on an eminence near at hand. 

Maurice — at tho moment partaking of the hospitality of his employers, 
freely extended to him — suddenly quaffed off the cup • and springing to his 
saddle, cried out,— 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAIt. 


73 


" Cm-nUada » ” 

*' No,” answered tho Mexican ; " manada.” 

“ What do the fellows mean by their gibberish ” inquired Captain Cal- 
houn. 

“ MufUnm is only the Mexican for mustangs,” replied tho major; "and by 
* manada’ ho mean.s they an* wild mares — a drove of them. At tliis season 
they herd together, and kee]) ai'art from the horses; unless when ” 

” When what?” inpatiently askwl tho ex-oflicor of voluiueers, intcrrujding 
tho explanation. 

“ VVlicn they are attracted by asses,” innocently answered the major. 

A general jxial of laughter ren<lert‘d doubtful the of tho major’s 

response — imparting to it the suspicion of a jK*rsonaIity not intended. 

For a mtunent Calhoun writhed under the awkwanl misconception of tho 
auditory; but only for a moment. He was not the man to succumb to rn • 
unlucky accident of sjK*<*ch. On tho contrary, ho perceived tho chanco of a 
triumphant rejily ; and took advantage of it. 

" Indeed !” he drawled out, Avithout npjx'aring to address himself V) any 
one in particular. ” I was not aware that donkeyn were so dangerous in these 
parts.” 

As Calhoun said this, ho was not looking at lyouiso Poindexter or ho 
might have detected in her eye a glance to gratify liim, 

Tho young C'reole, des]»ite an ai>])arent coolness towards him, could not 
Avithhold admiration at anything that showetl cleverness. His case might 
not be BO hopeless ? 

The young dragoon, Hancock, did not think it so ; nor yet tho lieutenant 
of ritles. Bo'h observed the appniving l<K)k, and l)oth l)ocame imbue<l with 
tho iKdief that Cassius Calhoun had — or might have — in his keeping, th > 
happiness of his cousin. 

'I'lie conjecture gave a secret chagrin to both, but esi>ecially to the dra- 
goon. 

There was but short time for him to reflect upon it; tho manada was 
drawing m ar. 

” To the saddle 1” was the thought ujKAn every mind, and tho cry upon 
every tongue. 

Tho bit was rudely inserted between teeth still Industriously grinding tho 
yellow corn ; the bridle drawn over shoulders yet smoking after the quick 
skurry of twenty miles through tho close atmosphere of a tropical mom ; 
and, before a liundnxl could have b«*en deliljerately counted, every one, ladies 
and gentleman alike, was in the stirrup, ready to i)ly whip and spur. 

By this time tho wild mares appeared coming over tho cr»*st of the ridge 
upon which the vidette had bt en atation<MJ. He, hims^-lf a hors»!-catchcr by 
trade, Avas aln*ady mounted, and in their midst — endeaA ouring to fling his lazo 
over one of the henl. 'fliey AA-ere going at mad gallop, as if fleeing from 
a pursuer — some «lreade<l creature that Avas causing them to " Avhigher” and 
snort I With their eyes strained to the rear, they saw neither the sumpter 
waggon, nor tho e^piestriaas clustering arr)und it, but Avere continuing on- 
waro to the spot ; which chanced to lie directly in the line of their flight. 

“ They are chased (” remarked Maurice, observing tho excited action of 
the animals. 









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mx nw ADLESS noRBKjrijr. 


“ Whf>t is it, CrospinoT” he fried out to the Mexirsn, who, from his posi- 
tion, niu5t have Sf'on any pursnrr that miplit l)e after them. 

There was a momentary pause, as the jtarty awaited the response. In the 
crowd were countenances lliat betmyed uneasiness, some even alarm. It 
mi>;ht 1)e ludinns wlio were in pursuit of the mustanpsi 

'• I'n osiiio cimmaroH f" the phrase that came from the mouth of the 
Mexican, t oti h by no means terminating the 8 U 8 {>on 80 of the pickniekers. 
'* Ufi mnrho /” he added. 

“Oil! That’s it! I thought it was I” muttered Maurice. "The rascal 
must in' stop])ed, or he’ll sjxtil our sjvirt. So long as he’s after them, they’ll 
not make halt this side the sky line. Is the macho coming on ?” 

" Close at hand, Don Mauricio. Making straight for myself.’’ 

‘‘Fling your rope over him, if you can. If not, cripple him with a shot 
— anytliing to put an end to his capers.’’ 

The character of the i)ur8uer was still a mystery to most, if not all, upon 
the ground : for only the mustanger knew the exact signification of the 
jihrases — " tin asino cimmaron,” ‘‘ un macho.” 

‘‘F.xplain, Maurice!” commanded the major. 

‘‘ Look yonder 1” replied the young Irishman, pointing to the top of the 
hill. 

The two words were sufficient. All eyes became directed towards the 
ere.st of the ridge, where an animal, usually regarded as the type of slow- 
ness and stupidity, was seen advancing with the swiftness of a bird upon 
the wing. 

Rut ver>' different is the ‘‘asino cimmaron ” from the ass of civilixation — 
the d. nkey becudgelled into stolidity. 

Tl'.o one now in sight was a male, almost as large as any of the mustangs 
it was chasing ; and if not fleet as the fleetest, still able to keep up with 
thc.n by tlio sheer jawtinacity of its pursuit ! 

'I'lio tableau of nature, thus jtresented on the green surface of the prairie, 
was as ]tromptly prcnluced as it could have been upon the stage of atneatro, 
or the arena of a hij>iKalromo. 

Scarce a score of wonls had passe<l among the spectators, before the wild 
^maroB were close up to them ; and then, as if lor the first time, perceiving 
ifhe nif>unte<l j>arty, they seemed to forget their dreaded pursuer, and shied 
i’lf in a slanting direction. 

y ‘‘ I,adi«‘3 and gentlemen !” shouted the guide to a score of people endeav- 
j ouring to restrain their ste«Hl8 ; “ keep your places, if you can. I know 
where the heixl has its haunt. They are heading towards it now; and wo 
shall find them again, with a better chance of acliase. If you pursue them 
at this momen', tliey’ll scatter into yonder chapparal ; and ten to one if wo 
evenuorc get sight of them. 

” Ilola, Sonor (’respino ! Send your bullet through that brute. He’s near 
enough for your esenpfttr, is he not ?” 

The Mexican, detaching a short gun — *' eseopeta ” — from his saddle-flap, 
an<l hastily bringing its butt to his shoulder, fired at the wild ass. 

The animal bmye<l on hearing the report ; but only as if in defiance. Ho 
was exndently untouched. Cres])ino’H bull(>t had not been truly aimed. 

‘‘ I must stop him I” exclaimed Maurice, "or the mares will run on till 
tho end of daylight.” 


THK HEADLESS HORSEMAN, 


7 ^ 


Am the mustanger spoke, he stttck the spur sharply into the flanks oi hia 
horse. Like an arrow projecUxl from its l)ow, Castro shot off in pursuit of 
thojackas.s, now galloping njgardlessly past. 

Half a dozim springs of the blwxl bay, guided in a diagonal direction 
brought Ids rider within casting distance; and like a flash of lightning, the 
loop of the la/, ) was seen descending over the long ears. • 

On launching it, the mustanger lialted, and made a half-wheel — the horse 
g.)ing r tun 1 a.s upon a pivot ; and with like mechanical obedience to the 
will of his rider, bracing himself for the exjiected pluck. 

There was a short interval of intense exiicctation, as the xvild ass, career- 
ing onw.ird, took up the slack of the rope. Then the animal was seen to 
rise r.!Ct on its hind legs, and fall heavily backward on the swsrd — wliere 
it lay motionless, and apparently as dead, as if shot through the heart. 

It was only stunned, however, by the shock, and tho ijuick tightening of 
the loop causing temporary strangulation ; which tho Mexican mustanger 
prolonged to eternity, by drawing his sharp-edged machete across his throat. 

♦ #*»i»** 

The incident caused a postponement of tho chase. All awaited tho action 
of tho guide ; who, after " throwing ” the macho, had dismounted to re- 
cover bis lazo. 

He liati sucjceeded in reloaaiug tho rope from tho neck of tho prostrate 
animal, when ho was seen to coil it up with a quic^kness tliat betokened 
some new cause of excitement— .-at the same time that he ran to regain his 
saddle. 

Only a few of tho others — most being fully occupied with their now 
excite<i steeds — observed this show of haste on tho part of the mustangoi. 
Those who did, saw it with surprise. He liad counselled patience in tlm 
pursuit. They could perceive no cause for tlie eccentric change of tactici<, 
unless it was that Louise Poindexter, mounted on tho spotted mustang, had 
suddenly separated from the company, and was galloping off after tho wild 
marcs, as if resolved on being foremost of the field ! 

But tho hunter of wild horses had not construed her conduct in this 
sense. That uncourteous start could scarce be an intention — except on tho 
part of tho spotted mustang? Maurice hatl recognized the msnada, ns the 
same from which ho had himself captured it ; and, no doubt, with tho de- 
sign of rejoining its old associates, it was running away with its rider I 

So believed the guide ; and the belief became instantly universal. 

S irred bv gallantry, half tho field spurred off in pursuit: Calhoun, Han- 
cock, and CTossm-m leading, with half a score of young planters, lawyers, 
and legislators close following — each a# he rode off reflecting to himself, 
what a bit of luck it would he to bring up the runaway. 

But few, if any, of the gentlemen felt actual alarm. All know that 
Louise Poindexter was a splendid equestiian ; a spacious plain lay before 
her, smooth as a racetrack ; tho mustang might gallop till it tired itself 
down ; it could not throw her ; there could be little chance of her receiving 
any serious injury ? 

'fhere was one who did not entertain this confident view. It was he who 
had been the first to show anxiety — the mustanger himself. 

Ee was the last to leave the ground- Delayed in the rearrangement 




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70 


THE HEADLESS HOI'.EEMAK. 


of liis Iftzo — A moment more in remounting: — lie was n Imndreil paces ?)ehio^ 
every comjwtitor, as his horso sprang forward upon the pursuit. 

Calhoun was a like distance in the lead, pre.«sinjf on with all the desiKsr 
ate energy of Ids nature, and all the h; eed ho could extract from the heels 
of his horse. The drag(xm and rifleman were a little in liis rear ; and tluai 
came the “ ruck.” 

Maurice soon passed through the thick of the field, overlai)iM*d the leaders 
one by one ; and forging still further ahead, showed C’assius Calhoun the 
hct'ls of his horso, 

A muttered curse was sent hissing through the teeth of the ex ofilcer of 
volunteers, as the 1)1 o(k 1 bay, bounding past, concealed from his sight the 
receding form of tlie spotted mustang. 

The sun, looking down from tlie zenith, gave light to a singular tableau. 
A her<l of wild mares going at reckless speed across the prairie ; one of their 
own kind, with a lady ujKjn its back, following almut four hundrinl yards Ikv 
hind ; at a like disUmce after the lady, a steed of red bay colour, lM!stridden 
bj' a cavalier j)ictnres«iuely attired, and ai)parently intent upon overtaking 
her; still further to the rear a string of mounted men — some in civil, some 
in military, garb ; l)chind these a troop of dragoons going at full gallop, 
having just parted fnmi a mixed group of ladies and genth;men — also 
mounted, but motionless, on the jdain, or only stirring around the same 
Bjiut with excited gesticulations ! 

In twenty imftutes the tableau was changetl. The same personages were 
njv>u the stage — the grand tapis vert of the prairie — but the grouping was 
different, or, nt all events, the groujts were now widely apart. The manada 
had gained distanw ujion the sjwtted mustang ; the mustang upon the bhxxi 
Imy ; and the blood bay — ah I his comjK'titors were no longer in sight, or 
could have be^m seen by the far-piercing eye of the caracara, soaring high in 
the sapphire heavens. 

The wild man's — the mustang and its rider — the red horse, and his — had 
the savanna to themselves 1 


CHAPTER Xy 

TITB nUTTAWAT OVEItTAKEI? 

Fon another mile the chase continued, without much change. 

The mares still swept on in full flight, though no longer screaming or in 
fear. The mustang still uttered an occasional neigh, which its old as-sociates 
mvmod not to notice ; while its rider held her seat in the saddle unshaken, 
and without any apparent alann. 

The blooil bay ajiia'anMl more excited, though not so much ns his ranstei . 
who was lieginning to show signs cither of despondency or chagrin. 

“ Come, C'astn) I” ho exclnimiMl, with a certain spitefulness of tone. “What 
the deuce is the matter witli your heels — to day of all others ? Rcmomlx;r, 
you overt<K)k her iK'fore — though not so easi.y, I admit. But now she’s 
weighted. I/ook yonder, you dull brute 1 Weighted with that which is 
«v irth more than gold — worth every drop of your blood, and mine too Th# 


the headless horbkmax 


77 


^gua pinta seems to have improved her paces. Is it from training • or doei 
a horse run faster wlu'n ridden ? i « , or oott 

^ ^ Ix'gins to look queer T It 

uld be an awkward situation for the young ladv. Worse than that— there's 

‘ »' ^ 

Thus muttering, Maurice ro<le on : his eve now fixed upon the form still 
the slSeeuL Sei'u^ml'rh’im fnn^H^ interrogating, with uneasy glances. 

He had r, -framed : partly on this account ; partlv Is-cause he waVin m!m en 

overtaking her ; and jiartly because ho knew that acts, 
not words, were wanted to bring the mustang to a stand. ^ 

f-run rl. 1 •'“*1 iiattvriug himself that he would sixin lie near 

enough to fling his lazo over the creature’s neck, and control it at discretion 
mi "finally becoming relieved of this hallucination. 

1 ho chase now vnteri-d among copses that thickly studded the plain fast 

^ continuous chaiipaml. This was a new source of imeasi’ness 
to the pursuer The runaway might take to the tlucket or become Ct to 
his view amid the windings of the wood. 

n.j “'"I’’'® ">‘ro already invisible— at inter\'al8. Tliev would soon be 

taki n them ^ Becmed no chance of their old associate over. 

^ A lady lost on a prairie, or in a cha].paral— alone 
the midst of a manada— either contingency iKiinted to a certain dan- , 

A still more startling peril suirgesteil itself to the mind of the mustanger 
—so startling as to find expression in excited spe-ech. ^ 

linH " c® ejaculated, his brow liecoming more clouded than it 

"""tI chase. “ 1/ the staUion* slmdd chauee 

w taW , ground among these moites. They 

were here but a week ago ; and this— yes— 'tis the month of their madness 1“ 
The spur of the mustanger again drew blixxl, till its rowels were red • 
Ss'^shSer^*'^^*'*'*''^ ““ glanced back upbraidingly over 

At tlus crisis the manada disappeared from the sight both of the blood-bav 
and his master ; and most probably at the same time from that of tho sS 
ted mustang and its rider. There was nothing mysterious in it £ 

Sd'fhem from'vSw two copses, where tho shrubberj' 

produced upon tho runaway apixiared to proceed from some 
magical influence. As if their disapixiaranoc was a signal for discontinuini? 
theiChaso, It suddenly slackened pace ; and tho instant after came to a stand^ 

Mauris continuing his gallop, came up with it in tho middle of a 
meadow-hke glade — standing motionless as marble— its rider reins in hand 

him m rido“ip“ elegance, as’ if waiting for’ 

** Miss Poindexter I" he gasped out, ns he spurred his steed within 8i>eak 




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THff HlEADLEBfl noS3RSIAl&. 


•/ft 


lug <]ifltao«cr : ** I urn glad that you havo n-c coiuuiaml of iha* wil4 

areature. I was beginuing to be iilarnied aljout ” 

“ Alx)ut what, sir f * was the question that startled the mustanger. 

" Your safety — of course,” he replied, somewhat stammeringly. 

” Oh, thank you, Mr. Gerald; but 1 was not aware of having been in any 
danger. Was I really so?” 

“ Any danger !” echoed the Irishman, with increased" astoiiishmmt 1 " On 
the back of a runaway mustang — in the middle of a pathless prairie 1” 

“And what of that? The thing couldn’t throw me. I’m too clever in 
the saddle, sir.” 

“ I know it, madame ; but that accomplishment would have availed you 
very little had you lost yourself, a tiling you were like enough to have done 
among these chapparal copses, where the oldest Texan can scarce find his 
way.” 

“ Oh — hst myself f That was the danger to be dreaded ?” 

“ There are others, besides. Suppose you had fallen in with ” 

“ Indians 1” interrupted the lady, without waiting for the nmstanger to 
finish his hypothetical speech. “ And if I had, what would it have mat- 
tered? Are not the Comanches en pm at present ? Surely they wouldn’t 
have molested me, gallant fellows as they are ? So the major told us, as we 
came along. Ton luy word, sir, I should seek, rather than shun, such an 
encounter. I wish to seo the noble savage on his native prairie, anti on 
horseback ; not, as I’ve hitherto beheld him, reeling around the settlements 
in a state of debasement from loo fre 'ly partaking of our fire-water.” 

“ I admire your courage, miss; but if I had the honour of being one of 
your friends, I should take the lilierty of coun-selling a little caution. The 
‘noble savage’ you speak of, is not always sober ui)on the prairies; and 

C eirhaps not so very gallant as you’ve bo. n led to believe. If you had met 
im ” 

" If I had met him, and he attemptetl to misbehave hrmsclf, I would have 
given him the go-by, and ridden straight hack to my friends. On such a 
swift creature as tins, he must have been well mount^ to have overtaken 
me. You found some difficulty — did you not?” 

Tlie eyes of the young Irishman, already showing astonishment, became 
expanded to increased dimensions— surprise and incredulity being equally 
blended in their glance. 

“ But,” said he, after aspeechless pause, " you don’t mean to say that you 
could have controlled— that the mustang was not running away with 
you ? Am I to understand- — ” 

“ Xo— no — no I” hastily rejoined the fair equestrian, showing some slight 
embarrassment. The mare certainly made off with me — that is, at ihe first 
— but I — I found, that is — at the last — I found I could easily pull her up. 
In fact I did so : you saw it?” 

“ And could yon have done it sooner V 

A strange thought had suggesU-d the interrogatory ; and with more than 
ordinary interest the questioner awaited the reply. 

" Perhaps — perhaps — I might ; no doubt, if I had dragged a little harder 
upon the rein. But you see, sir, I like a good gallop — ea|)ecially upon a 
prairie, where there’s no fear of running over pigs, poultry, or people.” 
Maurice looked amazed. In all his experience*— even in his own native 


THB HXADLX8S HORBSUAlT, 


79 


land, famed for fominino braverie — above all in the way of bohl riding — ho 
had met no match for the clever equestrian before him. 

llis astonishment, mixed with admiration, hindered him from making a 
ready rejoinder. 

“'I'o sjHjak truth,” continued the young lady, with an sir of charming 
simplicity, " I wiu» not stirry at bt'ing run ofl' with. One sometimes gets 
tired of too much talk — of the kind called complimentary. I wanted fn*sh 
nir, and to he alone. So you see. Air. Gerald, it was rather a bit of good 
fortune; since it savetl explanations and adieus.” 

“ You wanted to l>e alone ?” resjiondcd the mustanger, with a disappointed 
look. “ 1 am sorry 1 should have made the mistake to have intruded ujion 
YOU. 1 assure you. Miss Poindexter, I followed, liecauso 1 bclievod youtolio 
in dang<*r. ’ 

" Most gallant eif you, sir; and now that I know there danger, I am 
truly grateful. I presume I have guesw-d aright; you meant the Indians?” 

“ No ; not Indians exactly — ’Ut least, it was not of them 1 was thinking.” 

“ Some other danger? What is it, sir ? Y^ou will tell me, so that I may 
1»<‘ more cautious for tho future?” 

Maurice did not make immediate answer. A sound striking upon his ear 
hud caused him to turn away — as if inattentive h) tho interrogatory. 

The Creole, perceiving there was some cause for his abstraction, likewise 
assumed a listening attitude. Sho heard a shrill scream, succeeded by an- 
other and anotlmr, close followed by a hmd hammering of hoofs — the c<jn- 
junction of sounds causing tho still atmosphere to vibrato around her. 

It was no mystery to the hunter of horsi's. Tho words that came quick 
from Ids lips — though not designed — were a direct answer to the question 
she liad put. 

“ The wild stallmu he exclaimed, in a tone that betokened alarm. “ 1 
knew they must Iki among those mottos ; and they are I” 

“ Is that tho danger of winch you have been speaking?” 

" It is.” 

“ What fear of them? They are only mustangs !” 

“ True, and at other times there is no cause to fear them. But just now, 
at thiswason of tho year, they become as savage as tigers, and equally as 
vindictive. All ! the wild steed in bis rage is an enemy more to bo droned 
than wolf, imnther, or bear.” 

“ What are wo to do ?” inquired the young lady, now, for the first time, 
giving proof that she felt fear — by riding close up to the man who had once 
he.forc rescueii her from a situation of peril, and gazing anxiously in his face 
as she awaited tho answer. 

“ If they should charge upon us,” answered Alaurico, "there are but two 
w.-iys of escape. One, by ascending a tree, and abandoning our horses to 
their fury 

“ The other ?” asked tho Creole, with a »any froid that showed a preacn o 
of mind likely to stand tho test of the most exciting crisis. “ Anything but 
abandon our animals I ’Twould be but a shabby way of making our es- 
cape !” 

“ We shall not have an opportunity of trying it. I perceive it is impracti- 
cable. There’s not a tree within sight largo enough to afford us security 
If attacked, we have no alternative but to trust to tho fioetness of our horses 
Unfortunately,” continued be, with a glance of insi>eciion towards the n, ,i 





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TIIK liKADLESS lICWiSEMf’JT. 


1o(l marc, and tlu-n at liis o\v!i horse, " they’ve had too much work this mf)r 
ning. Both are badly blov. ii. Tiiat will la; our greatest source of danger. 
The wild steeds are sure to be fresli.” 

•• Do you intend us to start nf)w V’ ’ 

“ Not yet. The longer wo can breathe our animals the better. The stal- 
lions may net come this way ; or if so, may not molest us. It will d. i>end 
on their mc^ at the moment. If battling among themstdves, we may look 
out for their attack. Then they have lost their reason— if I may so si)eak— 
and will recklessly rtish uixm one of their own kind — even withamaiiujHm 
his back. Ua! ’lis as I exin-cted . they are in conflict. I can tell by their 
cries! And driving this way bX) , 

“ But, Mr, Oerald ; why shouhl we not ride off at once, m the opposite 

direction V" , i 

“ Twould be of no use. There’s no cover to conceal us, on that sido— 

nothing but own plain. They’ll he out upin it lieforo vo could get a suf- 
ficient start, and would soon overtake us. The place we must make lor 
the only safe one I can think of-lies the other way. They are now uiKin 
the direct path to it, if I can ju<lge by what I hear ; and, if we start too 
soon, wo may ride into their teeth. We must wait, and try to steal aw^ay 
belrind them. If we succeed in g.-ttin:r past arid can keep our distance for 
a two-mile gallop, I know a siKit, where we shall be ns sate ns if inside th« 
corrals of Casa del CorA'O. You are sure you ^n control the mustang ? 

“ Quite sure,” was the promiit rejdy : all idea of deception being aboiv 
doned in presence of the threatening iieriL 


CHAPTEIt XVL 


CHASED BY WILD STALLIOTCS. 

The two sat expectant in their saddles-sho apparently vdth more confi- 
dence than ho : for she conlided in him. btill but imiierlwtly comprehend- 
ing it she knew there must lie some groat danger. When such a man 
showed’ sign of fear, it could not lie otherwise, bho had a secret happiness 
ill thinkinVr ; that a ixirtion of this fear was tor her own safety. 

“ hink we may ienture now sai.l her companion, after a short peri^ 
s.K-iit in listening; “they apiicar to have passed the opening by wlaeli wc 
XiS make our tetreat. Dxik well to your riding, ciitmat you 1 Keep a 
firm ^‘ut in the saddle, and a sure hold of the rein. Dal op by my side, 
where the ground will admit of it . hut in no case let more 

of my horse’s tail be between us I ?imv’rf 

way. Ha! they are eoming <iirect tor the glade. Thej re alriaity close vo 

'' L l.„t a .1.™, ..liU. More 

no longer reigned over it. In its stead had arisen a Iraeasthiit nsuiibkd 

the oufivmriiig of some overcrowded asylum ; for in the 

the steeds might have been fancied the screams of mamacs-onlj ten 

'"T’Lj^^re'm^nglcd with a thunder like sS 

and crashing of branches— savago siioi-rs, accompanied by the sharp s p- 


t. 

I- 


I 


82 


TH2 HEADLESS HORSEUAJT. 


— a trial of speed between the horses without riders, and (he horses that 
were ridden. 

At inteia'als did Maurice carry his chin to his shoulder ; and though still 
porserving the distance gained at the start, his look was not the less one oi 
apprehension. 

Alone he would have laughed to scorn his pursuers. Ho knew that the 
blood-bay — himself a prairie steed — could surpass any ccmpiUitor of his 
^ race. But the mare was delaying him. She wim galloping slower than ho 
had ever seen her — as if unwilling, or not coveting esca^nj — like a horse 
with his head turned away from home I 

“ WTiat can it mean V’’ muttered the mustanger, as he checked his pace 
to accommodate it to that of his companion. " If there should lie any baulk 
at the crossing we’re lost ? A score of seconds will make the difference.” 

“ W’o keep our distance, don’t wof ’ inquired his fellow-fugitive, noticing 
his troublcni look. 

“ So far, yes. Unfortunately there’s an obstruction ahead. It remains to lie 
seen how we shall get over it. I know you are a clever rider, and can take 
a long leap. But your mount? I’m not so suro of the mare. You know 
her better than I. Do you think she can carry you over ’’ 

“ Over wliat, sir ?’’ 

" You’ll see in a second. We should bo near the place now.” The con- 
versation thus carrietl on was between two individuals riding side by side, 
and going at a gallop of nearly a mile to the minute I 

As the guide had predicted, they soon came within sight of the obstruction ; 
which proved to be an arroyo— a yawning fissure in the plain full fifteen 
feet in width, as many in depth, and trending on each aide to the verge of 
vision. 

To turn aside, either to the right or left, would bo to give the pursuers 
the advantage of tlie diagonal ; which the fugitives could no longer afford. 

The chasm must be crossed, or the stallions would overtake them. 

It could only be crossed by a leap— fifteen feet at the least. Maurice knew 
that Ids own horse could go over it — he had done it before. But the mare T 

“ Do you tliink she can do it ?” he eagerly asked, os, in slackened pace, 
they approached the edge of the barranca. 

“ I am sure she can,” was the confident reply. 

“But are you sure you can sit her over It?” 

“ Ha ! ha I ha !” scornfully laughed the Creole. " Wliat a question for 
an Irisliman to ask I I’m sure, sir, one of your own countrywomen would 
be offended at your speech. Even I, a native of swampy I^uisiana, don’t 
regard it as at all gallant. Sit her over it I Sit her anyw'here she can carry 
me.” 

“ But, Miss Poindexter,” stammered the guide, still doubting the powers 
of the spotted mustang, “ suppose she cannot ? If you have any doubts, 
had you not better abandon her? I know that my horse can bear us both 
to the other side, and with safety. If the mustang bo left behind, in all 
likelihood we shall escjipe further pursuit. The wild steeds " 

“ Leave Luna behind I Leave her to be trampled to death, or tom to 
pieces — as you say she would 1 No — no, Mr. Gerald. I prize the spotted 
mare too much for that. She goes with me : over the chasm, if we can. If 
not, we both break our necks at the bottom. Come, my pretty pet I This ia 


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82 


THE HEADLESS HORSEUAJT. 


— a trial of speed between the horses without riders, and the horses that 
were ridden. 

At intervals did Maurice carry liis chin to his shoulder ; and though still 
perserving the distance gained at the start, his look was not the less one ot 
apprehension. 

Alone he would have laughed to scorn his pursuers. Ho knew that the 
l.lood-bay — liimself a prairie steed— could surpass any comp«'titor of liis 
race. But the mare was delaying him. She was galloping slower than ho 
had ever seen her — as if unwilling, or not a veting escape — like a horso 
with his head turned away from homo ! 

“ What can it mean V” muttered the mustanger, as he checked his pace 
to atk’ommodato it to that of his companion. “ If there should bo any baulk 
at tho crossing we’re lost T A Ba)ro of seconds will make the difference.’* 

“ We keep our distance, don’t wo?” inquired his fellow-fugitive, noticing 
his troubled look. 

“ So far, yes. Unfortunately there’s an obstruction ahead. It remains to Iw 
seen how we shall get over it. I know you are a clever rider, and can take 
a long leap. But your mount? I’m not so suro of tho mare. You know 
her better than I. Do you think she can carry you over ” 

” Over wlvat, sir ?” 

“ You’ll see in a second. We should be near tho place now.” Tho con- 
versation thus carried on was between two individu^ riding side by aide, 
and going at a gallop of nearly a mile to the minute 1 

As the guide had predicted, they soon came within sight of the obstruction ; 
w'hich proved to be an arroyo — a yawning fissure in the plain full fifteen 
feet in width, as many in depth, and trending on each side to the verge of 
vision. 

To turn aside, either to tho right or left, would bo to give tho pursuers 
the advantage of the diagonal ; which tho fugitives could no longer afford. 

Tho chasm must bo crossfMi, or the stallions would overtake them. 

It could only be crossed by a leap — fifteen feet at the least. Maurice knew 
that Ids own horse could go over it — ho had done it before. But the mare ? 

Do you think she can do it ?” ho eagerly asked, 04 , in slackened pace, 
they approached tho edge of the barranca. 

“ I am sure she can,” was the confident reply. 

“But are you sure you can sit her over it?” 

“ Ha ! ha I ha I” scornfully laughed the Creole. “ Wliat a question for 
an Irishman to ask ! I’m sure, sir, ono of your own countrywomen would 
be offended at your speech. Even I, a native of swampy Louisiana, don’t 
regard it as at all gallant. Sit her over It I Sit her anywhere she can carry 
me.” 

*' But, Miss Poindexter," stammered tho guide, still doubting the powers 
of tho spotted mustang, “ suppose she cannot ? If you have any doubts^ 
had you not better abandon her? I know that my horse can bear us both 
to the other side, and with safety. If the mustang be left behind. In all 
likelihood we shall escape further pursuit. The wild steeds " 

“ Leave Luna behind ! Leave her to be trampled to death, or tom to 
pieces — as you say she would I No— no, Mr. Gerald. I prize the spotted 
mare too much for that. She goes with me : over the chasm, if we can. If 
not, we both break our necks at the bottom. Come, my pretty pet I This is 


THE HEADLESS HORBEMAy. 




pr. 


he who chased, captured, and conquered you. Show him you’re not yet so 
»uhdu(d, but that you can escape, when close pressed, from t lie toils of either 
friend or enemy. Soow him one of those leap*, of which you ve done a 
dozen within tho week. Now for n fiight in tho air I” 

Without even waiting for tho stimulus of example, tho courageous Cr< olo 
rode recklessly at tho arroyo ; and cleared it by one of those leaps ot which 
she had “ done a dozen within tho week.” 

There were three thoughts in the mind of tho mustanger — rather n'.i.glit 
they 1)0 called emotions — as he sate watching that leap. 'I'lio first was simple 
astonishment ; tho second, intense admiration. Ths third was not so easily 
defined. It had its origin in tho W'ords — " I prizt tht »potUd tnarc tiio much Joe 

thatr . . • , 

“Why?” reflected he, as ho drove his spur-rowels into the ll:iiik.« of the , 
blood bay ; and tho reflecting lasted as long as Castro was susix iided in mid- 
air over the yawning abysm. 

Cleverly as tbo chasm was crossetl, it did not ensure tlio safety of tlio 
fugitives. It would lie no obstruction to the steeds. Maurice knew it, and 
look(*d back with undiininished apprehension. 

Bather was it increased. 'I'lio delay, short as it was, had given the pur- 
Buers an advantage. They were nearer than ever! They would not 1«; 
likely to make a moment’s pause, but clear the crevaiisu at a single bound l 
of their sure-footed gallop. 

And then — what then ? | 

The mustanger put the question to himself, lie grew paler, as tho reply i 
j)uzzled him. ■ 

On alighting from the leap, ho had not paused for a second, but gone gal- | 
loping ou — as before, close followed by bis fugitive conqianion. His pace, I 
however, was less impetuous. He BC'emod to ride with irresolution, or as if ’ 
some lialffonned resolve was restraining him. 

Wlien about a score lengths from tho edgo of tho arroyo, he reined up and : 
wheeled round — aa if he had suddenly formed tbo determination to rido 1 
back I 

“ Miss Poindexter !” ho called out to tho young lady, at that moment 
just up with him. " You must ride on alone.” ; 

“But why, sir?” asked she, as the jerked tho muzzle of the miLstang I 
close up to its counter, bringing it almost instantaneously to a stand. | 

“If we keep together we shall be overtaken. I must do something to f 
stay those savage brutes. Here thero is a chance — nowhere else. For J 
heaven’s sake don’t question me 1 Ten seconds of lost tijne,-and ’twill Ik- 
too late. Look ahead yonder. You iHTceive tho sheen of water. ’Tis u I 
prairie pond. Bide straight towards it. You will find yourself between ; 
two high fences. They come together at the pond. You’ll see a gap, with * 
bars. If I m not up in time, gallop through, dismount, and put the bars up • 
behind you.” ^ 

“ And you, sir? You are going to undergo some great danger ?’ i 

“ Have no fear for me ! Alone, I shall run bi:t little risk. 'Tis tho mus { 

rang For mercy’s s ke, gallop forwanl ! Keep the water under your 

eyes. Let it guide you like a beacon fire. Bemember to close the gap bo- | 
hind you. Away — away I” > 

For a second or two the young lady appeared irrcBoluto— as if reluctant 1 

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51 


TUB UKAULK&tt 110K8KMAN. 


' to part company with the man who was making such efforts to ensur* hei 
! safety — perliaps at the juTil of liis own. 

j By good fortune she was not one of tho.«e timid maidens wliotura frantic 
: at a crisis, and drag to the bottom the swimmer who would save them. Khe 
had faith in the capability of her counsellor — believed that he knew what 
i he was about — and, once more spurring the mure into a gallop, she rode off 
! in a direct line for tho prairie j>ond. 

j At tho same instant, Maurice had given the rein to his horse, and was 
) riding in tho opposite direction — back to tho place where they had leaped 
, tho artoyo I 

On parting from his companion, ho had drawn from his saddle holster tho 
finest weapon ever wielded upon the i)rairies — either for attack or defence, 
against Indian, buir.ilo, o: boar. It was tho six-chambered revolver of 
' Colonel Colt — not tho spurious improvement of Deane, Adams, and a liost of 
retrograde imitators — but the genuine article from tho “ land of wooden 
nutmegs,” with the Hartford brand up<m its breech. 

“ They must got over tho narrow iilaco where we crossed,” muttered he, 
as ho faced towards tho stallions, still advancing on the other side of the 
' arroyo. 

“ If I can but fling one of them in his tracks, it may hinder the others 
from attempting tho leap ; or delay them — long enough for the mustang to 
make its escape. The big sorrel is lea<ling. lie will make tho spring first. 
The pistol’s g<x>d for a hundred i>aces. lie’s within range nowl” 

! Simultaneous with tho last words came tho crack of the six-shooter. The 
largest of the stallions — a sorrel in colour — rolled headlong upon the sward ; 
his carcass falling transversely across tho line that lead to the leap. 

Haifa -dozen others, clo.so following, were instantly brought to a stand ; 

! and then tho whole cavallada 1 

The mustanger stayed not to note their movements. Taking advantage 
of the confusion caused by tho fall of their leader, ho resc^rved the fire of 
; the other five chamljcrs ; and, wheeling to tho west, spurred on after the 
‘ spotted mustang, now far on its way towards tho glistening pond. 

. * * * * * * ,* 

I Whether dismayed by the fall of their chief— or whether it was that his 
I dead body had hindered them from n])proaching the only place where the 
j cliasra could have been cleared at a leap — tho stallions abandoned tho pur- 
j suit ; and Maurico had tho prairie to liiinsclf ns he sw’ept on after his fellow 
1 fugitive. 

He ove'’took her beyond tho convergence of the fences on the shore of tho 
1 pon 1. bae had obeyed him in everything — except as to the closing of tho 
1 gap. • Ho found it open — the bars lying scattered over the ground. Ho 
j tound her still seated in the saddle, relieved from all apprehension for his 
' safety, and only trembling with a gratitude that longed to find expeessio# 

, In speech. 

j Tho peril was passed. 


TUE HEADLESS HUKSEMAN. 



Vl 



Si 


CHAPTER XVIL 


THE MUSTANG TBAP. 


I 


i 


) 


No longer in dread of any danger, tho young Creole looked interrogatively 
around her. 

There was a small lake — in Texan pliraseologj- a “ iwnd ” — with count- 
less horse tracks visible along its shores, proving that the place was frequen 
tell by wild horses — their excessive number showing it to be a fn\orite • 
watering place, 'riiere was a high rail fence — constructed so as to enclose , 
the j)ond, and a portion of the contiguous prairie, with two diverging wings | 
carried far across the jtlain, forming a funnel-shajK'd a)>proach to a gap ; 
which, when its bars were up, comideted an enclosure that no horso could 
either enter or escaiie from. j 

” VVTiat is it for ?” inquired tho lady, indicating tho construction of split ^ 
mils. 

" A mustang trap,” said Maurice. J 

” A mustang trap ?” . . * 

*' A cimtrivance for catching wild horses. They stmy between tho vingt; i 
which, as you j)erccive, are carriiil far out ujxtn the ]>lain. Tho water j_ 
attracts them ; or they are driven towards it by a band of mustangers whop 
follow, and force them on through the gap. ()ncc within tho corral, there is i 
no trouble in taking them. They are then laziK'd at leisure.” 

" Poor things ! Is it yours ? You are a mustanger ? You told us so ?” p 
"I am ; but I do not hunt tho wild horse in this way. I prefer Ving ' 
alone, and rarely consort with men of my calling. Therefore I could noi ' 
make’ uso of this contrivance, which rixiuires at lea.st a scoro of drivers. ^ 
My weapon, if I may dignify it by the name, is this — tho lazo.” 

“ You use it with great skill ? I’ve heard that you do ; besides having ; 
myself witnessed ihe proof.” 

It is complimentary of you to say so. But you are misiaken 


Tlierc 


are men on these prairies ‘to the manner born’ — Mexicans — who regard, J 
what you are pleased to call skill, as sheer clumsiness. | 

*’ Are you sure, Mr. Gerald, that your modesty is not prompting you to! 
overrate your rivals Y I have been told tho very opposite. 

" By whom Y” 

“ Your friend, Mr. Zebulon Stump.** ^ 

•» Ha ha I Old Zeb is but indifferent authority on the subject of thi . 

l&KO ** 

" i wish I could throw tho lazo,” said tho young Creole. ” Tliey tell me! 
’tis not a lady like accomplishment. What matters — so long as it is inno i 
cent, and gives < ne a gratification ? ’ , • . » , 

“ Not lady-l’kc ! Surely ’tis as much so as archery, or skating ? I knou ' 
a lady who i i very expert at it.” ' j 

" An American lady 1” 

•' No ; she’.i Mexican, and lives on the Rio Grande ; b^t Bometimea com©* 
across to the jicona— where she has relatives.” 

" A young lady Y” . , -r. , . m » 

" Yes. About your own ftgo, I should think, Miss Polndextsr* ■ 





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86 


THR UEADLBSa U0R8EUAN. 


/ 


- Piwi ?” ’ 

“ ^(it so tall ns yon.” 

“ But much prolticr of course ? The Mexican ladies, I’ve heard, in the 
matter of jfoocl l<x»ks, far 8iiri)ass iis plain Americatxn." 

"I think Creoles are not included in that cate^ijory,” was the reply, 
vorthy of one whoso lips had been in contact with the famed l)ouldor of 
lilarni-y. 

“ 1 wonder if I could ever learn to flinp it 7” pursued the younff Creole, 
pretending not to have In'en ntleclrd by the complimentary remark. “ Am 
I t<>r> oid 7 I ve been told that the Mexirans commenci’ almost in childhood ; 
that tli.at is why they attain to such wonderful skill 7” 

“ Not at all, replied Maurice, encouragingly. “ 'Tis possible, with a year 
or two’s jiraciicc, to become a proficient lazoer. I, mytelf, have only been 
three years at it ; and ” 

lie jtau.seil, perceiving he was about to commit himself to a little l)oa8t- 
ing. 

" And you are now the most skilled in all Texas!” said his companion, 
•ujiplying the jiresuine<l finale of his s]M*ech. 

“ No, no!” l.uigliingly rejoined he. ‘‘ That is but a mistaken l)clief on the 
part of Zeb Stump, who jmlgcs iny skill iny comjmrison, making use of his 
own as a standard.” 

" la it modesty 7" reflected the Creole. "Or is this man mocking mo7 If 
I thought so, I should go mad I” 

" Perhaps you are anxious to get back to your party!” said Maurice, ob- 
serving lier ab.stracted air. “ Your father may be alarmed by your long 
ub.sencc? Your brother — your cousin ” 

"Ah, true!” she hurriedly rijoinwl, in a tone that betrayed either pique, or 
comi)unciif)n. " I was not thinking of that. Thanks, sir, for reminding mo 
j of my duly. Ia'I us go back !” 

Again in the saddlr-, she gathered up her reins, and plied hertiny spur — 
I both acts being performeil with an air of languid reluctance, as if eho 
would have preferred lingering a little longer in the " mustang trap.” 
j # # -K- ^ « « 

I Once more upon the ]>rairic, Maurice conducted his protegee by the most 
direct route towards the sjxU where they had parted from the picnic party, 
j 'I'lieir backward way leil them across a peculiar tract of country’ — What in 
jd’exa.s is calleil a " weed prairie,” an appellation beslowetl by the early pioneer^ 
'who were not veiy choice in their titles. 

; The Louisianian saw around her a vast garden of gay flowers, laid out in 
jone grand parterre, whose Ixirdors wt're the bule circle of the horizon — a 
j'rarden designed, ])lante<l. nurtured, by the hand of Nature, 

I The most plebeian spirit cannot pass through such a scene without rc- 
heivlngan imi)re8.sion calculated to refine it. I’ve known the illiterate trapper 
j— habitually blind to the beautiful — pause in the midst of his " weed prairie," 
;\vith the flowers rising breast high around him, gaze for a- while upon their 
’audy corollns waving beyond the verge of his vision ; then continue his 
J'ilent stride with a gentler feeling towards his fellow-man, and a firmer faith 
!n the grandeur of Ids (i<Kl. 

I " ranJieu ! ’tis very iM-autiful !” exclaimed the enthusiaetie Creole, reining 
|;p as if by an involuntary inslincV. 

I 


THK HEADLESS HORSEMAlt. 


81 


" You admire these wild semes. Miss I omdexter . 

" Admire them? Something moie, sir! I see around mo all that i a 
bri<rht and beautiful in nature; venlant turf, trees, flowers, all that wo taU 
such pains to plant or cultivate ; and such, too, as wo never succix^ m equal- 
ing. There seems nothing wanting to make this picture complolo tis a 
park perfect in cverythinf? I” 

" Except the mansion 1’ , , , , • . 

“ That would siioil it for me. Give me the landscape where there is not a 
house in sight— slate, chimney, or tile-to interfere with the outlin.'s ot the 
trees. Under their shadow could I live ; under their shadow let imi — - 
The word ; “ love,” upjicmiost in her tho’ights — was ujK>n the tip of her 

She dexterously restrained herself from pronouncing it — changing it to 

one of very dilferent signification— “ ilie." , , , 

It was cruel of the young Irishman not to tell her that she was sjK>aking 
his own sentiments— repeating them to the very is'he. To this was the 
itrairie indebted for his presence. But for akindnxl inclination aiuountmg 
almost to a passion — ho might never have lieen known as Maurict the miu- 

The romantic sentiment is not satisfied with a " sham.” It will S'lon con- 
sume itself, unless 8upiK)rte<l by the consciousness of re-ality. 1 ho mus- 
tanger would have been humiliateil by the thought, that ho chased the wild 
horse R.S a mere pa.stime-a pretext to keep him ujKm the prairies. At first 
ho might have condcst'nded to make such an acknowleclgment but he had 
of late become thoroughly imbued with the pride of the professional hun- 
ter. 

Ilis reply might have appeared chillingly jirosaia , i u 

" I fear, miss, you would«soon tire of such a rudo life — no roof to shelter 

you — no society — no—” . t i u 

“ And you, sir ; how is it t/on have not grown tire<l of it 7 If 1 have been 

correctly informed— your friend, Mr. Stump, is my authority— you vo been 
leading this life for several years. Is it mV’ 

" Quite true ; I have no other calling.” 

" Indeed 1 I wish I could say the same. I envy you your lot ; I m sure 1 
could enjov existence amid tliesti beautiful scorn's for ever and ever 1” ^ 

" Alone? Without companions? Without even a roof to shelter you? 

" I did not say that. But, you’ve not told me. llow do you live ? Have 

tfOMahouse?” „ , -i. ■. 

"It docs not deserve such a high-sounding appellation, laughingly re- 
plied the mu-starnt-’r. " Shed would more correctly serve for tne desenpUon 
of my jacalc, which may be classed among the lowliest in the land. 

"Where is it? Any wherj near wiiere we’ve been to day ? 

" It is not ver)' far from where wo are now. A mile, perhaps You see 
Ih'ise tree-tops to the west? They shade my hovel^from the sun, and shelter 

it from the storm.” o i . 

" Indeed I How I should like to have a look at it 1 A real ride hut, you 

say ?” 

“ In that I have but spoken the trutli.” 

“ Standing solitary ?” 

"I know of no other witliin ten miles of it.’* 


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88 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAK. 


! 

. " Among trees, and picturesque?” 

“ That depends upon the eye that beholds it.” 

; “ I should like to see it, and judge. Only a mile you say ?” 

** A mile there— the same to return — would be two.” 
j “ That’s nothing. It would not take us a score of minutes.” 

*' Should we not bo trespassing on the patience of your people ?” 

I " On your hospitality, perhaps ? Excuse me, Mr. Gerald 1” continued the 
young lady, a slight shadow suddenly overcasting her countenance. 
" I did not think of it. Perhaps you do not live alme } Some other shares 
your— jacale — as you call it ?” 

" Oh, yes : I have a companion— one who has been with me ever since 

I ” 

The shadow became sensildy darker, 

] Before tho mustanger could finish his speech, his listener had pictured to 
’ herself a certain image, that might answer to tho description of his 

; companion ; more inclining to embonpoint — with a skin of chestnut brown 

a girl of hor own age — perhaps eyes of almond shape, set plquantly ob- 
I lique to tho lines of the nose ; teeth of more than ptunrly purity , a tinge 
j of crimson upon tho cheeks ; hair like ('astro’s tail ; beads and bangles around 
I neck, arras, and ankles ; a short kirtle elaborately embroided ; mocassins 
covering small feet ; and fringed leggings, laced uixin limbs of large develop- 
ment. Such were tho style and equipments of the supiwsed companion, 
who had suddenly 'occomo outlined in the imagination of Louise Poindexter. 

“ Your fellow tenant of tho jacale might not like being intruded upon by 
visitors — more especially a stranger ?” 

" On tho contrary, he’s but too glad to seo visitors at any time — whether 
' strangers or acquaintances. My fo.ster-brother is tho last man to shim society ; 

I of which, poor fellow I he sees precious little on the Alamo.” 
j " Your foster-brother?” 

I ** Yes. Phelim O'Neal by name — like myself a native of tho Emerald 
j Isle, and shire of Galway ; only perhaps si^caking a little better brogue than 
mine.” 

! " Oh I tho Irish brogue. I should so like to hear it spoken by a native of 

' Galway. I am told that theirs is tho richest. Is it so, Mr. Gerald?” 

“ Bi-ing a Galwegian mysidf, my judgment might not lie reliable ; but if 
' you will condescend to accejit Phelim’s hospitality for half-an-hour, ho will, 
no doubt, give you an opportunity of judging for yourself.” 

! “ I should bo delighted. ’Tis something so new. Let papa and tho rest 

I of them wait. There aro plenty of ladies without nio ; or tho gentlemen 

I may amuse themselves by tracing up our tracks. ’Twill bo as gc^ a horse 

' liunt as they aro likely to have. Now, sir. I’m ready to accept your hosju- 

1 tality.” 

“ There’s not much to offer you, I fear. Phelim has been several days by 
j himself, and as he’s but an indifferent hunter, his larder is likely to bo low. 

] ’Tis fortunate you had finished luncheon before tho stampede ” 

It w’as not Phelim’s larder that was leading Louise Poindexter out of hor 
-I way, nor yet tho desire to listen to his Connemara pronunciation. It wa* 

I not curiosity to look at tho jacale of the mustanger ; but a feeling of a far 

j more irresistible kind, to which she was yielding, as if she believe^ it to b« 

! her fate! * » * » ^ * 

I 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


89 


Bhe paid a visit to the lone hut, on the Alamo ; she entered under its roof 
she scanned with seeming interest its singular pennies; and noted, witli 
pleased surprise, the books, writing materials, and other chattels that be- 
tokened the refinement of its owner; she listemd with apparent delight to 
tho palthogiu of the Connemara man, who called her a “coleon bawn she 
partook of Phehm’s hospitality — eondescendiugly tasting of everything 
offered, exccjit that which was most urgently pressed upon her, “a 
dhraji of tho crayther, drawn fresh from the dimmyjan and finally made 
her departure from tho sjxit, apparently in tho highest spirits. 

Alas ! her delight was short-lived : lasting only solong as it was sustained 
by tho excitement of tho novel adventure. As she rccrossed the fiowor 
prairie, she found time for making a variety of refiections ; and there was 
one that chilled her to tho very core of her heart. 

Was it tho thought that she had 1)oen acting wrongly in keeping har 
father, her brother, and friends insuspi'nse about her safety? Or had she te- 
come conscious of playing a part open to the suspicion of being unfemenino? 

Not either. The cloud that darkened her brow in the midst of that 
blossoming brightness, was caused by a different, and far more distressing 
reflection. During all that day, in the journey from the fort, after overtak- 
ing her in the chase, in tho pursuit while protecting her, lingering by hor 
side on the shore of the lake, returning across tho prairie, under his own 
humble roof — in short everywhere— her companion had only beeu polite— 
had onfy behaved as a gentleman ! 


CHAPTER XVIIL 

JILVLODST UPON TUB TRAIL, 

Or the two score rescuers, who had started in pursuit of tho runaway, but 
few followed far. Having lost sight of tho wild mares, tho mustang, and 
the mustanger, they began to lose sight of ono another : and before long 
became dispersed upon tho prairie — going single, in couples, or in groups 
of three and four together. Most of them, unused to tracking up a trail, 
Br*on strayed from that taken by tho manada ; branching off uixm others, 
made, jierhaps, by the same drove upon some previous stumix-do. 

Tho dragoon escort, in charge of a young officer — a fresh fledgling from 
West Point — ran astray uixm ono of these ramifications, carrying tho hind- 
most of the field along with it. 

It was a rolling prairie through which tho pursuit was conducted, hero 
and there intersected by straggling belts of brushwooil. Those, with tho 
inequalities of the surface, soon hid the various jiursuing parties from ono 
another ; and in twenty minutes after the start, a bird looking from tho 
heavens above, might have beheld half a hundrt'd horsemen, distributed in 
»o half a score of groups — apparently having started from a common oentro 
—spurring at full speed towards every quarter of the compass 1 

But ono was going in the right direction — a solitary individual, mounted 
upon a largo strong-limbed chestnut horse ; that, without any claim to ele- 
spmee of shape, was proving the possession both of speed and bottom. The 






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THK HEADLKSS HORSEMAN. 


. blue frirk-coat of half military cut, and forapc cap of corri-sponding colour, 

i w, ro dia.inctivc articles of dress habitually worn by the ex-captain of 

volunteer cavalry — Cassius Calhoun. He it was who directt^d the chestnut 
on the true trail ; while with whip and spur he was stimulating the animal 
to extraordinary efforts. Ho was himself stimulated by a thought — sharp 
as his own spurs — that caused him to concentrate all his energies ui>on the 
object in hand. 

Liko a hungry hound ho was laying his head along the trail, in hoiies of 
an issue that might reward him for his exertions. 

, What that issue was ho had but vaguely conceived ; but an occasional 
glance towards his holsters — from which protruded the butts of a brace of 
j pistols — told of somo sinister desi,gn that was shajung itself in his soul, 

i But for a circumstance that assisted liim, ho might, liko the others, have 
j gone astray. Ho had the a<lvantago of them, however, in being guided by 
two shoe-tracks he had seen before. One, the larger, ho recollected with a 
I painful distinctness. He had seen it stampt'd upon a charred surface, amid 
1 the ashes of a burnt prairie. Yielding to an undefined instinct, he had 
made a note of it in his memory, and now remembered it. 

Thus directed, the captain arrived among the copses, and rode into 

I the glade where the sixjtted mustang had been pulled up in such a mys- 
j teri >us manner. Hitherto his analysis had been easy enough. At this point 
1 it becanio conjecture. Among the hoof-prints of the wild mares, the shoc- 

I tracks were still seen, but no longer going at a gallop. The two animals thus 

: distinguished must have been halted, and standing in juxta-ixaition. 

, VVhither next? Along the trail of the manada, there was no imprint of 
! iron ; nor elsewhere I The surface on all aides was hard, and strewn with 

I jwbbles. A horse going in rude gallop, might have indented it ; but not one 

1 pa.ssing over it at a tranquil p.ice. 

And thus had the spotted mustang and blootl bay parted from that spot. They 
; had gone at a walk for some score yards, before starting on their final gallop 
towards the mustang trap 

The impatient pursuer was puzzled. Ho rode round and round, and along 
i the trail of the wild mares, and back aga n, without discovering the direc- 
tion that had been taken by either of the ridden horses. 

He was beginning to feel something more than surprise, when the sight of 
, a solitary horseman advancing along the trail interrupted his uncomfortable 
I conjectures. 

‘ It was no stranger who was drawing near. The colossal figure, clad in 
coarse habiliments, bearded to the buttons of his blanket coat, and bestriding 
I the most contemptible looking steed that could have been found within a 

I hundred miles of the spot, was an old aojuaintance. Caseins Calhoun knew 
j Zebulon Stump, and Zeb Stnmi) knew Cash Calhoun, long before either had 
sot foot upon tho prairies of Texas. 

“ You hain’t stHKl nuthin o’ tho pung lady, her ye. Mister Cal-hoon?" 
inquireil tho hunter, as he rode up withanunusal impressiveness of manner. 
“ AO, ye bain’t,” ho Cimtinued. ns if deducing his inference Iromthe blank 

looks of tho other. “ Doggone my citsl I wonder what tho h her 

become o’ her 1 Kewrious, t<xi, set h a rider as she air, ter let the durned 
goat o’ a thing run aw.iy wi’ her. Wal I thur’s not much danger to b« 
reeprohended. The mowstangor air putty sartin to throw his rope aroua* 
the •Titter, an' that’ll put an eend to its capers. Why hevye stopped hyur!" 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


0{ 


" I’m pur.zled about the direction thoy’v taken. Their tracks show they 
hev been halted here ; but I can see the shod hoofs no farther.” 

“ Whoo ! v/hoo! yur right. Mister Cashus ! They hev been halted hyur; 
an’ been dost thegithcr too. They hain’t gone no lurthcr on the trail of 
the wild maars. Sartin they hain’t. Whar then ?” 

The speaker scanned tho surface of the plain with an interrogative glance; 
as if there, and not from Cassius Calhoun, expecting an answer to his 
question. 

" I cannot see their tracks anywhere,” replied the ex -captain. 

" No, kan’t yc ? I kin though. Lookoo hyur I Don’t ye see them tkur 
bruises on tho grass T” 

“No.” _ • 

” Dum it 1 thur plain es tho nose on a Jew’s face. Thur’s a big shoe, an’ 
a little un dost aside o’ it. Thet’s they way they've rud off, which show 
that they hain’t follerod tho wild maars no further than hyur. We’d bettor 
keep on arter them ?” 

" By all men ns!” 

Without further parley, Zeb started along tho new trial ; which, though 
still und’.scerni'ole to the eye of the other, was to him as conspicuous as he 
had figuratively declaro<l it. 

In a little while it beoamo visible to his companion— on their arrival at 
the place where tho fugitives had once more urged their horses into a gal- 
lop to escape from tho cavallada, and where tho shoo tracks again deeply 
indented the turf. 

Shortly after their trail was again lost— or would have been to a scrtitiny 
lees keen than that of Ze’o Stump — among the hundreds of other hoof- 
marks seen upon the sward. 

•' Hilloo I” exclaimed tho old hunter, in some surprise at the new sign. 
• What’s been doin’ hyur 7 This air some ’at ketvrious.” 

“ Only tho tracks of the wild marcs 1” suggested Calhoun. “ They ap 
pear to have made a circuit, and come round again 1” 

" If they hev it’s been arter the others rud past them. Tho chase must a 
changed sides, I reck’n.” 

" What do you mean, Mr. Stump 7” 

" That i’stead o’ them gallupin’ arter the maars, the maars hev been gal- 
lupin’ arter thera.” 

" How can you tell that 7” 

•' Don’t ye see that the shod tracks air kivered by them o’ tho maars 7 
Maars — no ! By the ’tumal airthquako I — ^them’s not maar-tracks. They 
air a inch bigger. Thur’s been this way — a hul cavayurd o’ them. 
Qeehosofat 1 1 hope they hain’t ” 

“ Haven’t what 7” 

*• Qone arter Spotty. If they hev, then thur will bo danger to Miss Peint- 
dexter. Como on 1” 

Without waiting for a rejoinder, tho hunter started off at a shambling 
trot, followed by Calhoun, who kept calling to him for an explanation of his 
ambiguous words. 

Zeb did not deign to offer any — excusing himself by a backwanl sweep of 
the baud, which seemed to say, “ Do not bother me now : I am busy.” 

For a time he appeared absorbed in taking up the trail of the shod horses 
— not so easily done, as it was in places entirely obliterated by tho thick 


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92 


THK HEADLESS IIORSEMAH. 


I 


trampling of the stallions. He succeeded in making it out by picceMe*!— 

I Biill going on at a trot. 

i It was not till he had arrived -within a hundred yards of the arroyo that 
; tho serious shadow di8api)eared from his lace ; and, checking the pace of 
1 his marc, ho vouchsafed the explanation once more demanded trom him. 

“Oh! that was the danger,” said Calhoun, on hearing the explanation. 
" How do you know they have escaped itV” 

“ L<wk thur !” 

“ A dead horse I Freshly killed, he appears ? What does that prove !” 

" That the mowstanger hes killed him.” 

' “ It frightened the others oil’ you think, and they followed no further?” 

1 “ They followed no further ; but it -wa’n’t ndzackly thet es scared ’ra off. 

Thur’s tho thing as kep them from fcdlerin’. Ole Hickory, what a jump I” 

Tho speaker pointed to tho arroyo, on tho edge of which both riders had 
. now arrived. 

' “You don’t suppose they leaped it?” said Calhoun. “Impossible.” 

I “ Leaped it clur as tho crack o’ a rifle. Don’t ye sec thur toe marks, both 

on this side an’ the t’other? An’ Miss Peintdexter fust, too! By the 
jumpin’ Oeehosofat, what a gurl she air sure euuf! They must both a 
jumped afore the stellyun war shot, else they kedn't a got at it. Thur’s no 
other place whar a hoss ked go over. Oeeroozalem ! wa’n’t it cimnin’ o’ 
the mowstanger to throw the stud in his tracks, jest in the very gap ?” 

I “ You think that he and my cousin crossed here together?” 

“ Not adzackly thegither,” explained Zeb, without suspecting the motive 
of tho interrogatory, “ As I’ve sayed. Spotty went fust. You see tho crit- 
ter’s tracks yonner on t’other side?” 

“ I do.” 

“ Wal — don’t ye see they air kivered wi’ them o’ tho mow'stanger’s hoss ?” 

“ True — true.” 

“ As for the stellyuns, they hain’t got over — ne’er a one o’ the hul cava- 
! yard. I kin see how it hezbeen. The young fellur pulled up on t’ other 
I side, an’ sent a bullet back inter this brute’s karkidge. ’Twar jest like 
) closin, the gap ahint him ; an’ the pur8(x>ers, B<'ein’ it shet, guv up the chase, 
{ an’ BCAmiKircKi off in a different direckshun. Thur’s tho way they hev gone 
I — up tho side o’ tho gully 1” 

“ They may have crossed at some other place, and continued the pur- 
j suit ?” 

•• If they dud, they’d hev ten mile to go. afore they ke<l git back hyur^ 
4 five up, an’ five back agin. Not a bit o’ that. Mister Cal-hoon. Ye nee<ln’t 
! be uneez.y ’bout Miss Lewaze bein’ pursooc-d by them any further. Arter tho 
i unip, she’ s rud off along wi’ tho mowstanger — both on ’em as ejuiet as a 
i giipplo o’ lambs. Thur wa’n’t no danger then : an’ by this time, they 
j oughter be dog-gonod well on torst n'jeinin’ the people as stayed by tho 
I purvision waggon.” 

“ Come on !” crieil Calhoun, exhibiting as much impatience ns when he 
believed his cousin to bo in si'rious peril. “ Como on, Mr, Stump I Let us 
' get back an speodly as jKissible !” 

i “ Not so fast, if you ph'eze,” rejoined Zeb, permitting himself to slide 
leisurely outof his saddle, and then drawing his knife from his sheatk. “ I’ll 
j only want ye to wait for a matter o’ ten minutes or thereabout,’’ 

I " Walt 1 For what ?” peevishly inquired Calhoun- 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


93 


«T111 I kin f.trip the hide off o’ this hyur sorrel It appear to bo a skm d 
flmTust qunlenyVan’ oughter fetch a five-dollar bill in the^ttlemenu. ^ 
Five-dollar bills ain’t pickcil up every day on these hyur purayras. ^ 

« J) „ the skin 1” angrily ejaculated the impatient bouthemor, Como 

Ain’t a'g'in’ to do anvthin’ o’ the sort,” coolly responded the hunter, a » | 
ho drew the sharp edge of his blade along tho telly of the postrate siee< . | 
“ You kin go on if ye like. Mister Cal-hoon ; but Zeb Stump don t start til- 
h - pacL tte hide o’ this hyur stellyun on the krupper o’ his old maar. . 

Como*^Zcb : what’s tho use of talking about my going back by myself? | 
You know I can’t find my way ?” 

“ That air like enough. 1 didn’t say ye ked. • . * i., ' 

“ I/Hjk here, vou obstinate old case 1 Time’s precious to mo just at tills ^ 
minute. It ’ll take you a full half-hour to skin tho horse. 

“ Not twenty minutes.” . , ^ e , 

“Well, say twenty minutes. Now, twenty minutes arc of more iropor-] 
tanco to me tlian a five-dollar bill. You say that’s tho value of tho skm ? 
teavo it iK'hind ; and I agree to make good the amount. ^ ^ 

“ Wal— that air durned gin’rous, 1 admits — dog-goned gin rous. But i , 
mussent except your offer. It ’ud be a moan trick o’ m(‘-mcan enuf for a, 
yeller-bollicd Mexican— to take yur money lor scch a sar\’ice as thet ; the 
Loro so es I ain’t no stranger to ye, an’ myself a goin the ^nio ^ad 0“ 
the t’other hand. I kan’t afford to 

which ud te rotten as punk— to say iiuthin o its tern tored into skrcoils 
by tho buzzarts and coyoats— aforo I mout find a chance to kum this way j 


agin. 


’Tia very provoking! \Miat am I to do?” l 

“ You air in a huriy ? Wal— I’m sorry to discommerdato ye. But— stay 1 . 
Thur’s no reezun for yur -vvatin’ on me. 'Thur’s nuthin’ to hinder ye from j 
findin’ yur way to the waggon. Ye see that tree stannm up agamst thO; 
sky-line — the tall poplar yonner ?” 

“ \Val ; do yon rememter ever to hev seed it afore? It air aquecry lookin( 
plant appearin’ more like a church steeple than a tree.” : 

« YC 3 --VCS !” said Calhoun. “ Now lou’ve iwinted it out, I do rememter 
It We PKle close past it while iu pursuit of tho wild marcs ?” , . , : 

’“ You dud that very thing. An’ now. ns ye know it what air to hinder 
you from ridin’ past it agin ; and follcring the trail o the ra^rs back a^ .- 
That ud bring ye to yur startiii’-peint ; where, ef I am t out o my reck nin 
ye’ll find yur cousin. Miss Peintdexter, an’ the hul o yur parly enjeying; 
themselves wi’that ’ere French stuff, they call shaiupain. / .l‘^i^/bey iU 
stick to it, and spare the Monongaheela — of which licker I shea like to hc\^ 

ft trifliu’ Buck, urtor I crit buck myself. ^ ^ v /n ' 

Calhoun bad not waited for the wind-up of this characteristic spo^h. On^ 

the instant after recognizing the tree he had struck /'P"” S mcu^I 
of his chestnut, and gone off at a gallop, leaving old Zeb at litertj to socur.^ 

*''“Gw^oLSm’!” ejaculated tho hunter, glancing up, and noticing Ae! 
^aick uncek-emonious departure “ It don’t take much o a head-pioco to Ull 


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91 


THE HEADLESS H0R8EUA.N. 


wliy ho air in a«?ch a dumcd burry. I ain’t myself much rui torat gnes 
Bin’ ; but if I ain’t dog-gouedly mistaken it air a clur ca«o o’ jellacy on th« 
traU 1” 

• ••«»#* 

Zeb Stump wns not astray in his conjecture. It tre* jealousy that urged 
Cassius Calhoun to take that hasty departure — black jealousy, that had first 
a.'-suine<l shape Inn kindred sj)ot — in the midst of a charretl prairio; that 
h id been i very day growing stronger from circumstances oVwerved, and 
oth('rs iniagined : that was now intensified so as to have hwomo his prevail 
ill ' jmssien. 

The jiresentation and taming of the spotted mustang ; the acceptance of 
that gilt, characteristic of the giver, and gratifying to the n*ceiver, who had 
made no ethirt to concc'al her gratification; the.se, and other circumstances, 
acting ui>on the already excited fancy of Cassius Calhoun, had conducted 
him to the belief : that in Maurice the mustanger he would find his most 
jKiwerful rival. 

The inferior social ]x>sition of the horse-hunter should have hindered him 
from having such belief, or even a susjiicion. 

Perhaps it might have done so, had he Is-en less intimately acquainted 
w.th the character of Ijouise Poindexter. But, knowing her as ho did — 
iiss>M-iating with her from the hour of childhorsl — thoroughly understanding 
her independence of spirit — the braverie of her disiKwition, bordering upon 
very reck les.sness — ho could idaco no reliance on the mere idea of gentility. 

VVit n nuisi women this may be dejiendi d iqsm as a barrier, if not to«ic»' 
illinncf, at least to absolute imprudence; but in the impure mind of Cassius 
Calhoun, while contemplating the jirohablc conduct of his cousin, thoro was 
f not even this feeblo sujijiort to lean tijvin I 

' Chafing at the occurrences of the day — to him crookedly inauspicious — he 
I hurried back towanis tho sjiot where tho jiic-nic had been held. Tho stee- 
j j)le like trtv guidetl him back to the trail of tho manada : and lioyond that 
' was no danger of straying. He had only to return along the path already 
' tnxlden by him. 

I Ho ro<ie at a rapid pace — faster than was rclisherl by his now tired steed 
. —stimulated by bitter thoughts, which for more than an hour were his solo 
I oimiianions — their bitterness more keenly felt in the tranquil solitude that 
j surrounded him. 

1 He was but little consoled by a sight that promised other companionship : 

that of two persons on horseback, riding in advance, and going in the same 
j direction as himself, upiin the same path. Though ho saw but their backs— 
I and at a long distance ahead — there was no mistaking the identity of either. 
] Tiiey wore tho twoindivoiluals that had brought that bitterness upon hii 
I sjiirit. 

! Like himself they were returning upon tho trail oL the wild mares ; 
which, when first seen, they had just struck, arriving upon it from a lateral 
path. Side by side — their saddles almost chafing against each other— to all 
I a])jK>arance absorlicd in a conversation of intense interest to both, they saw 
; not the solitary horseman approaching them in a diagonal direction, 
i Ajiparently less anxious than he to rejoin the party of pick-nickers, they 
: were advancing at a slow pace — the lady a little inclining to the rear. 

Their proximity to one another — their attitude* in the saddle— their 


THE HEADLESS HORSKHAV. 


95 






obviomi inattention to outward objects— tho snail-like pace at which they 
were pioceeding — these, along with one or two other slighter circumstances 
observed by Calhoun, combined to make an impressi n on his mind— or 
rather to strengthen one already made — that almost drove him mad. 

To gallop rapidly up, aud rudely terminate tho Ute-a-teie, was but tl«« natu 
ral instinct of the chivalric Southerner. In tibedienco to it bc'^piiefuUy pli. d 
tho spur ; and once more forced Ids jaded chestnut into an unwilling cauti r. 

In a few seconds, however, ho slackened pace — as if changing his deter 
mination. The sound of his horws hoofs had not yet warned the ntheis ol 
his proximity — though he was now less than two hundred yards behind 
them I ITe could hoar tho silvery tones of his cousin’s voice hearing tho 
better part of the conversation. How interesting it must be to both to ha\o 
hindered tliera from perceiving his approach 1 

If ho could' but overhear what they were saying? 

It si'cmed a most unpropitious ptaco for playing eavesdropper ; and yet 
there might he a chance ? ... j • 

Tho Kccniin^f interest of the dialop^ue to the individuals enpaged m it pave 
promise of such opportunity. Tho turf of tho savannah was soft as velvo.. 

Tlie hoof gliding slowly over it gave forth not tho slightest sound, 

Calhoun was still too impatient to coiifino himself to a walk ; buthisclust- 
jrut was accustomed to that gait, peculiar to the horso of the South- v\ cstern 
States — the “ pace” • and into this was ho pressed. 

With lioofs horizontally striking the sward — elevaUKl scarce an inch alsivo 
the ground— he advanced swiftly and noiselessly ; so quick withal, that in a 
few seconds ho was close upon the heels of tho spotlwl mustang, and tho red 

steed of tho mustanger! i -i i • -a 

Ho was then checked to a pace corresponding to theirs ; while his rider, 
leaning forward, listened with an eagerneis that evinced some terrible deter 
mination. His attitude proclaimed bim in the vein for vitupenition of the 
rud St kind — ready with ribald tongue ; or, if need bo, with knife and pistol. 

His behaviour dciiended on a contingency — on what migiit ho overheard 1 

As cliance, or fate, willed it, there was nothing. If the two equestrians 
were insensible to external sounds, their steeds were not so absorbed. In a 
walk tho chestnut Btepi»ed heavily — tho more so from lK*ing fatigued. His 
fcKitfall proclaimed hw proximity to the sharp ears, both ef ibe hlofsl-hay 
and spotted mustang; that simultaneously fiung up their heads, neighing us 
they did so. 

Calhoun was discovered. 

“Ilal cousin Cash 1” cried tho young lady, betraying more of pique than 
surprise ; “ you there ? Where’s father, and Harry, and the rest of tho 
people 

“ Why do you ask that, Loo ? I reckon you know as well as I.” 

"Whatl haven’t you come out to meet us? And they t«xi — ah 1 your 
chestnut is all in a sweat! He looks as if you had been riding a long race 
— ^like ourselves ’<'* 

"Of coarj<j he has. I followed you from tho first — in hopes of being of 
some servicf) to you." 

" Indeed V 1 did not know tliat you wero after us. Thank you, cousin 1 
I’ve just liecn saying tiiaiiks to iliis gallant gentleman, who also came after, 
and has bc’en good enough to reecuo both Luna and myself from a very un- 


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THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN*. 


; oa 

i pleasant dilemma — a dreadful danger I should rather call it. Do you know 
\ fchat wc’vo been chased by a drove of wild steeds, and had actually to rid« 

' for our lives ?” 

" I am awaro of it.” 

; •• You saw the chase tlien ?” 

I " No. I only knew it by the tracks.” 

i * The tracks ! And were you able to tell by that ?*' 

j «' Yes— thanks to the interpretation of Zeb Stump.” 

I “ Oh ! ho was with you ? But did you follow them to— to— how fei ditj 
you follow them ?” 

j “ To a crevasse in the prairie. You leajted over it, Zeb said. Did you T** 

” Luna did." 

1 “ With you on her back ?” 

1 " I wasn't anywhere else ! Wliat a question, cousin Cash I ^V^lere would 

you expect mo to have been ? Clinging to her tail 1 Ha 1 ha I ha.” 

, " Did you leap it Y’ intjuired the laugher, suddenly changing tone, " Di4 

I you follow us any further ?" 

i “No, Loo. From the crevasse I came direct here, thinking you had gc4 
‘ back before me. That’s how I’ve chanced to come up with you.” 

' The answer appeared to give satisfaction. 

“Ah! I’m glad you’ve overtaken us. We’ve lioen riding slowly. Luna 
18 so tired. Poor thing 1 I don’t know how I shall ever get her back to the 
Leona.” 

Since the moment of being joined by Calhoun, the mustonger had not 
•^Miken a word. However pleasant may have been his previous intercourse 
' with the young Creole, ho had relinquished it, without any apparent reluct- 
! ance ; and was now riding silently in the advance, as if b/ tacit understand- 
I ing he had returned to the performance of the part for which ho had been 

i originally engaged. , . , i i • 

For all that, the eye of the cx-captain was bent bhghtmgly upon him— 
at limes in a demoniac glosv — when ho saw— or fancied that another eye 
j was turnetl admiringly in the same direction. . , , ... 

I A long journey performed by that trio of travellers might have led to a 
tragical termination. Such finale was prevented by the appearanw of the 
' pick-nickers ; who soon afier surrounded the returned runaway, drowning 
every other thought in the chorus of their congratulations. 


CHAPTER XIX, 

■VrniSKY AND -WATBlt. 

: In the embryo city springing up under the pmti^ion of Fort. Inge, the 
“ hotel ” was the most conspicuous building. This is but the normal con- 
’ diiion of every Texan town— whether new or founded forty yeara ago ; and 
: none are older, except the sparse cities of Hispano-Mexican origin— where 
the presidio and convent tewk precedence, now surpassed by, and in some in 

BtanccB transformed into, tho ta\orn. i -i i* ^ t 

The fort Inge establishment, tliough tho largest building m the 
' ws neverthel^. neither very grand nor imposing. Its exterior had but 
■j hitle pretence to arehitectur.il stylo. It was a structur.' of hewn loga hav 

I 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


01 


t 


• . Ing for ground-plain tho letter T according to tho grotesque alphalvt— the 

' shank licing used fur eating and sleeping rooms, while tho head was a 

single apartment entirely devoted to drinking — smoking and erpeetorating 
included. This last Was the bar-room, or “ saloon.” 

Tho sign outside, swinging from the trunk of a ixwt-oak, that had been 
pollarded some ten feet aliovo the ground, exhibited on both sides tho likeness 
of a well known military celebrity — tho hero of that quarter of tho globe — 
General Zacliariah 'faylor. It did not need looking at t!io lettering iM'ne.atli } 
to ascertain the name of the hotel. Under tho patronage of such a isirtrait ' 
it could only bo called “ Uofoil AND Ue.ldY.” | 

Thore was a touch of tho ajiropos about this designation. Outside things 
appeared rough enough ; while inside, esiiecially if you entered by iho 
“ saloon,” there was a readiness to meet you half w'ay, A/ith a mint julep, a 1 
sherry cobbler, a gin sling, or any other mixed drink know to trans-Missis- [ 
sippian tipplers — iirovidoil always that you were ready with tho picayunes to 
pay for them. 

'fho saloon in question would not call for description, had you ever travel- 
ed in tho Southern, or South-Western, States of America. If so, no IauIi- 
oan draught could ever effaco from your memory tho “bar-room” of tho 
hotel or tavern in which you have had the unhappiness to sojourn. Tho 
counter extending longitudinally by the side ; tho shelvcil wall behind, with 
its rows of decanters and bottles, containing liquors, of not only all tho col- 
ours of tho prism, but every possible combination of them; tho elegant 
young fellow, standing or Bi(iling between counter and shelves, yclejs'd 
“ clerk ’’—don't jail him a “ bar-keeper,” or you may get a decanter in your 
teeth — this ele gant young gentleman, in blouse of blue coHoiwrf#, or white 
linen coat, or maybe in his shirt sleeves — tho latter of finest linen and laco 
— milled, in the year of our Lord eighteen hundred and fifty — this elegant 
young gentleman, '.vho, in mixing you a sherry cobbler, can look you 
straight in tlio face, talk to you of tho iKilitics of tho day, while tho ice, and 
the wine, and the water, are jiassing from glass to glass, like an iris sparkling 
behind his shoulders, or an aureole surrounding his perfumed head ! Travel- 
ler through tho Southern States of America! you cannot fail to remsmlxir 
him. 

If so, my words will recall him, along with his surroundings — tho saloon 
in which ho is the presiding administrator, with its shelves and coloured de- 
canters ; its counter ; its floor sprinkled with white san l, at times littered 
with cigar stumps, and the brown asterisks proiluced by expectoration — its 
odour of musk, absinthe, and lemon-peel, in which seem to luxuriate tho 
black fly, the bluo-lsrttlc, and tho sharivtongued mo8<iuito. All these must 
1)0 sharply outli.aod on tho retina of your memory. 

Tho liotcl or tavern, “ Rough and Ready,” though differing but little 
from other Texan houses of entertainment, had some points in particular. 

Its proprietor, instead of lieing a siieculativo Yankee, was a German- in 
this jiart of tho world, as elsewhere, found to bo tho best purveyors of food. 
He kept his own bar ; so that on entering the saloon, instead of the elegant 
young gentleman with ruffled shirt and oflorous chevelnre, your “liquor" 

— was mixed for you by a staid Teuton, who looked as sober as if he never 

^ ta.sted— notwithstanding tho temptation of wholesale priwv— the delicion! 

drinks served out to his customers. O'; jrh.ff t was the name ho had impor 
tod with him from his fatherland ; tr''.ti.'f >rme<l bv his Texan customers in 
to “ Cld Dufll'r.’' 


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Thero wns one other peculiarity nlwut the bar-room of the " Eou^rh and 
Ready,” though it scarce <le8erve<l to be so desiffnated ; since it was not un 
common elsewhere. As alread stated, the building was shaped like a capi. 
tal T ; the. saloon representing the head of the letter. The counter extend^ 
along one side, that contiguous to the shank ; while at each end was a door 
that oi»ened outward into the public square of the incipient city. 

This arrangement had Ix^en designed to promote the circulation of the air 
—a matter of primary importance in an atmosphere where the thermometer 
for half the year stands at 00 in the shade. 

Tlio hotels of Texas or the South-W'estem States— I may say every part 
of the American Union— s«;rve the double purpose of exchange and club- 

ho ISO. Indeed, it is o\ving to the cheap accommodation thus afforded 

ofLcn of tho most convenient kind— that the latter can scarce be said to 
exist. 

Even in tho larger cities of the Atlantic States the "club" is bv no ^ 
means a necessity. Tho moderate charges of tho hotels, along with their 
excellent ettuine and elegant accommodations, circumscribe the pro«ip«-rity 
of this institution ; wliich in America is, and ever must be, an unhealthi 
exotic. ^ 

Tho remark is still more true of the Southern and South-Western cities 
where the saloon and " bar-room ” are the chief places of resort and 
rendezvous. 

The comjiany, too, is there of a more miscollaneous character. The proud 
planter does not disdain— lor he does not dare — to drink in the same room 
with the " poor white trash often as proud as himself. 

There is no peasant in that part of the world— least of all in the state 
sailed Texas ; and in the saloon of " Rough and Ready " might often be 
seen assembled representatives of every class and calling to bemetwkh 
1 j among the settlements. 

I Perliaps not upon any occasion since " Old Duffer ” had hung out the 
j siprn of his tavern, was he favoured with a larger company, or served more 
I customers across his counter, than ujron that night, after the return of the 
horse-hunting party to Fort Inge. 

I With the exception of the ladies, almost every one who had taken part in 
I tho expedition seemed to think tliat a half-hour spent at the “ Hough and 
Ready ” was necessary as a " night cap ” before retiring to rest : and as the 
Dutch clock quaintly ticking among tho coloured decanters, indicated the 
hour of eleven, ane afmr another — officers of the Fort — planters living near 
along tho river — sutlers — commissariat contractors — " sportsmen — and 
i others who might bo called nondescripts— came dropping in ; each as he 
j entered marching straight up to the counter, calling for bis favourite drink, 
and then falling back to converse with some group already occupying the 
fl'v>r. 

One of these groups was conspicuous. It consisted of some eight or ten 
Individiuils. half of them in uniform. Among the latter were the three offi 
cers already introduced ; the CRptain of infantry, and the two lieutenants 
—Hancock of the dragoons, and Crossman of the mounted rifles. 

Along with these was an officer older than any of them, also higher in 
j anthoritv, as could be told by the embroidery on his shoulder-strap, that 
rrecloimo.l him of the rank of m.njor. As he was the only “field officer” 
at Fort Intre, it is unnecessary to sav that he was tho commandant of th* 
C"ntonment 


THR nSADLESS IIORSEMAK. 


Tlreso gentlemen were conversing as freely ns if all were subalterns of 
equal rank — the subject of the discourse being the incidents of the day. 

“ Now tell us, major 1 ” said Hancock : “ you must know. Where did tb« 
girl gallop to ?’’ 

“How should I know?” answered the officer appealed to. "Ask her 
cousin, .Mr. Caatnus Calhoun.” 

" Wo have asked him, but without getting any satisfaction. It's clear ho 
knows no more than we. He only met them on the ri'turn — and not very 
far from the pla.-^j where wo had our bivouac. They were gone a precious 
long time; and judging by the sweat of their liorses they must have bail a 
hanl rido of it They might have been to the Rio (irauile, fo.r tlmt matter, 
and beyond it.” 

"Did yoR notice Calhoun as ho came back?” inquired the captain of 
infmtry. “ Tliero was a scowl upon his face that betokemid eomo very 
unpleasant emotion within his mind, I should say.” 

“ He did look rather unhappy,” replied the major ; " but surely, Captain 
Sloman, you dont attribute it to ?” 

“Jealousy. I do and nothing else.” 

"What! of Maurice tho mustongor? Poh — poh 1 impossible— at least, 
tery improbable.” 

" And wliy, major ?” 

“ My dear Sloman, I>oui80 Poindexter is a lady, and Maurice Gerald " 

“ May be a gentlemaa for aught that is known to the contrary.” 

“ Pshaw !” scornfully exclaimed CTossman ; " a trader in horses ! Tho 
major is right— the thing’s improbable — imi>ossible.” 

“ Ah, geatlein ’.n !’' pursued the, officer of infantry, with a significant shake 
of tho head. “ You don’t know Miss Poindexter, so well as I. An eccentric 
young lady — to say tho least of it. You may have already observe! that 
for yourselvo.s.” 

" Como, come, Sloman I” said tho major, in a bantering way ; " yon are 
inclined to be talking scandal, I fear, 'fbat would be a scandal. Perhaps 
you are yourself interested in Miss Poindexter, notwithstanding your pro- 
tensious to bo considered Josc'ph? Now, I could understand your boing 
jealous if it were Imndsome Hancock here, or Crossman — supposing him to 
bo disengaged But ao for a common mustanger — jx)h — poh 1 ” 

“ He’s an Irish.raan, major, this mustanger ; and if he bo what I liavo 
some reason to suspect ” 

“ Whatever he be,” interrupted the major, casting a side glance towanls 
the door, “ he’s there to answer for himself ; and ns he’s a sufficiently plain- 
npoken fellow, you may learn from him aU about tho matter that seems to 
Im of so much interest to you.” 

“ I don't think you will,” muttered Sloman, os Hancock and two or three 
otliers turned towards the new comer, with tho design of carrying out th» 
major’s suggestion. 

Silently advancing aeress the sanded floor, the mustanger had taken hi* 
stand at an unoccupied space in front of the counter. 

“ A glass of whisky and water, if you please ?” was the modest request 
witli wiiich he salutrxl the landlord. 

" Visky and vacliter !” oehoed the latter, without any show of eagwmoss 






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100 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


to wait upon Ills now guest. “ Ta, woe, visky and vachtcrl It ish tw» 
pickayunsh tbc glass.” 

” I was not inquiring the price,” replied the mustanger. ” I asked to b* 
served with a glass of whisky and water. Have you got any ?” 

^esh yesh, responded tlm tiennan, rendered obsequious by tho sharp 
rejoinder. " Plenty— plenty of visky and vachter. Here it ish.” 

hilo his simple potation was being s<!rved out to him, Maurice received 
nods of recognition from tho oflTicers, returning tlu-m with a free, but 
modest air. Most of them knew him personally, on account of his business 
relations with tho Fort. 

They were on tho eve of interrogating him — as tho major had suggested 
—when tho entrance of still another individual caused them to susjxsud 
their design. 

The new comer was Cassius Calhoun. In his presence it would scarco 
Lave been delicacy to investigate tho subject any further. 

Advancing with his customary swagger towards tho mixed group of 
military men and civilians, Calhoun saluted them as one who had spent 
tho day in their comi)any, and had been absent only for a short interval. 
If not absolutely intoxicated, it could be seen that the ex-officer of volun- 
teers was under tho influence of drink. The unsteady sparkle of his eyes, 
the unnatural i)allor ujwn his forehead — still further clouded by two or 
three tossed tresses that fell over it — with tho somewhat grotes<iuo set of 
his forage cap— told that ho had been taking wino beyond the limits of 
wisdom. 

” Come, gentleman!” crie<l ho, addressing hims«ilf to the majors party, at 
the same time stepping up to the counter ; “ let’s hit the waggon a crac^ 
or old Dundor-und-blitzen behind the bar will say wo’ro wasting his lights. 
Drinks all round ! What say you ?” 

” .Agreed — agrewU” re|)lied several voices. 

“ You, major?” 

With pleasure. Captain Calhoun.” 

According to universal custom, tho intendetl imbibers fell into line along 
tho counh'r, each calling out tho name of the drink most to his liking at 
the moment. 

Of these were ordered almost as many kinds as there were individuals in 
the party ; Calhoun himself shouting out — ” Brown sherry for me and 
immecliately adding — “ with a diush of bitters.” 

“ Prandy und pitters, you calls for, Mishter Calhoun ?” said tho landlord, 
as ho leant obsequiously across the counter towards the reputed partner of 
an extensive estate. 

••Certainly you stupid Dutchman ! I said brown sherrj', didn’t I 7” 

“ All rights, mein herr; all rights I prandy and pitters — prandy and jut 
ters,” re[H'ated tho Gennan Bonifac«i, a.s ho hastened to place the decanter 
before his ill-mannered guest. 

With the large accession of the major’s party, to several others already In 
the act of imbibing, the whole front of tho long counter became occupied 
—with scarce an inch to spare;. 

Apparently by accident — though it may have l)een design on the part of 
Calhoun — ho was the outermost man on the extreme right of thoso who had 
responded to his invitation 


the headless Horseman. 


101 


him in juxtaposition with Maurice Gerald who alon*w_-. ^ 
garded Wn companionshi,)-was quietly drinking hS whiikev^^V^.'^ 
and smoking a cigar he had just lighted. ® whtekey and water, 

.. V ? ^ ^ ’ resp^iiaed several voices. 

Btaiidins will, ilio glnw raisi'd to ““"iMigcr— at tlio momcat 

iBliicli fell over thymMangiT'a'iySiy/ ” I”"'"" ''■*‘*7 oml ttatet j 

Was it an accident? No one believed it was— even fe, 

1.1. i,. 

ou^ " oxslit to la kickod 

enme .ottam.."’*’- Vo^rfinlTh’dlffo^tiy^^’n’**’’^ tlio Infantry olPcar, in tlia 

r."wwnrC’^ 

the defilement of the spilt whisky ^ ^ ^ embroided shirt bosom 

vukTeS 

they had made a mistake and that tliem a perceived that 

lenco they awaited the development. something to come. In si- 

ings included— did no/^upv twent^^*”^” affair— speculation and whispe^ 
tion proceed, or the speech which wlj like^ to ushe“ U 

to the'^p^cS from whiVh S had® handkerchii< 

been t^ere was'no^on^preE^hEffS delaved as It had 
'vild horses had tweakEf n^s^ If the hunter of 




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102 


THE HUAUl.ESS HOUSEMAN. 


tanffcr from lu-iul to foot, " you an Irishman ? Groat God, sir I thould b«t. 
er have ihoufj^iit so! I should havo taken you for a Mexican, judging by your 

riff and the elalwrate stitching of your shirt.” 

I can’t perc-jive how my rig should concern you, Mr. Cassius Calhoun ; 
and as you’ve done my shirt no service by spilling half my liquor upon it, I 
shall take the liberty of unstarching your.s in a similar tashion. 

So savinir the mustanger to<jk up his glass ; and, before the ex-captain ot 
volunteers ^uld duck his head, or get out of the way, the remains of the 
Monongahela wore “ swilled ” into his face, sending him off into a ht ot al- 
ternate sn.^ezing and coughing that appeared to afford satisfaction to more 

than a majority of the bystanders. 

The murmur of approbation was soon suppressed. The circumstances 
were not such aa to call for speech ; and the exclamations that accompanied 
the act were succeeded by a hush of silence. All saw that the quarrel co^d 
not be otherwise than a serious one. The affair must end in a ngut. 
power on earth could prevent it from coming to that conclusioiL 


CHAPTER XX. 

AN T7N0AFK POSITION. 

On receiving the alcoholic douche, Calhoun had clutched his six-shooter, 
and drawn it from its holster. He only waited to get the whisky out of his 
eyes before advancing upon his adversary. ,, ..v 

The mustane-er, anticipating this action, had armed himself with a sim- 
ilar weapon, and stood ready to return the fire of his antagonist— shot for 

The more timid of the spectators bad already commenced making their 
escape out of doors ; tumbling over one another, in their haste to get out of 

A few stayed in the room from sheer irresolution ; a few others, of cwler 
courage, from choice ; or, perhaps, actuated by a more astute 
which told them that in attempting to escaiie they might get a bullet in 

^^There was an interval — some six seconds - of silence, during which a pin 
might have been heard falling upon the floor. It was but the interlude 
that often occurs lietween resolution and action ; when the mmd has com- 
pleted its task, and the body has yet to begin. 

It might have been more brief with other actors on the scene 'Two o^i- 
nary men would havo blazed away at once, and without reflation. liut 
the two now confronting each other were not of the common kind, ^th 
had seen tfreel fighting before— had taken part in it— and know the di^d- 
vantage of an idle shot. Each was determined to take sure aim on the 
other. It was this that prolonged the interval of inaction. „ ' 

To those outside, who dared not even look through the dwrs the suspense 
was almost ])ainhil. Tl.o cracking of the pistols, which they «|^t^ 
.•very moment to hear, would have been a relief. H 'vas almost a disap- 
iKiintment when, instead, they heanl the voice of the major-who wm 
among the few who had staid inside- raised in a loud authoritative tone. 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


103 


“Hold!” comraamletl ho, in the accent of one accu.s!onied to lx? ol)eyr><l, 
at the same time whisking his -abre out of its scabbard, and iutertiosing its 
long blade between the disputants. 

“ Hold your fire— 1 comiuuiid you Ixitli. Drop your muzzles ; or by the 
Almighty I’ll take the arm off’ the first of you that touches trigger ! Hold !” 

“Why?” shouted Calhoun, purple with angry passion. “Why, Major 
Ringwcod? After an insult like that, and from a low fellow ” 

“ You wore the first to otfer i'. Captain Calhoun.” 

“ D — 11 me if 1 care! I shaii he the last to let it pass unpunished. Stand 
out of the way, major. The iiuarnd is not yours — you have no right to 
interfere !” 

“Indeed! Ila! ha! Sloman! Hancock! Crossman! hear that? I hav« 
no right to interfere! Hark ye, Mr. Ca.ssiiis Calhoun, ex-captain of volun- 
teers ! Know you where you arc, sir? Don't fancy yourself in the state of 
Mississijipi — among your slave-whipping chivalry. This, sir, is a military 
post — under military law — my humble self its jin.'sent administrator. I 
therefore command you to return your six-shooter to the holster fnim which 
you have taken it. This instant too, or you shall go to the guardhouse, 
like the humblest soldier in the cantonment!” 

“ Indeed !” sneeringly replied the Mississippian. “What a flne country 
you intend Texas to iHCome. 1 suppo.sea man nnisn’t fight, however much 
aggrieved, without first obtaining a licence from Major Ringwtxxl ? Is that 
to be the law of the land ?” 

“ Not a bit of it,” retorted the major. ‘ I’m not the man— never was 

to staml in the wav uf the honest adjustment of a quarrel. You shall bo 
quite at liberty — you and your antagonist — to kill one another, if it so please 
you. But not just now. You must perceive, Mr. Calhoun, that your sixirt 
endangera the lives of other people, who havo not the slightest interest iu 
it. Wait till the rest of us can witlidraw to a safe distance ; and you may 
crack away to your heart’s content. Now, sir, will that be agreeable to 
you ?” 

Had the major been a man of ordinary character liis commands might 
havo been disregarded. But to his official weight, as chief officer of the 
post, was added a certain reverenc.? due to seniority in age — ahmg with 
respect for one who was himself known to wield a weapon with dangerous 
skill, and who allowetl no trifling with his authority. 

His sabn! had not been unsheathed by way of empty gesticulation. Tlio 
disputants knew it ; and by simultaneous consent lowered the muzzles of 
their pistols — still holding them in hand. 

Calhoun stood, with sullen brow, gritting his teeth, like a beast of prey 
momentarily withheld fnmi making attack uixin its victim ; while tho 
mustanger apjxjared to take things as coolly as If neither angry, nor an 
Irishman. 

“ I suppose you are determined upon fighting ?” said the major, knowing 
that there was not much chance of adjusting the quarrel. 

“ I havo no particuhir wish for it,” modestly responded Maurice. “ If 
Mr. Calhoun will ajxilogize for what ho has said, and also what ho has 
done ” 

“ Ho ought to do it : ho began the quarrel I” suggested several of the 
bystanders. 

“ Never 1” scornfully responded the ex-captain. "Cash Calhoun ain’t ao 






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i04 


THE HEADLESS HOUSEMAN. 


customed to that sort of thing. Apologize indeed I And to a masquerading 
monkey Ike thatl” 

“ Enough !” cried the young Irishman, for the first time showing serious 
j anger; “I gave him a chance for his life. He refuses to accept it; and 
now, hy the Mother of (iod, we don’t IxAh leave this room alive I Major 1 
I insist that you and your friends withdraw. I can stand his insolence no 
longer!” 

"Ha — lia — ha!” responded (’alhoun, with a yell of derisive laughter; 
“ a chance for my life ! Clear out, all of ye — clear out ; and let me at nim 1” 

“Stay!” cried the major, hesitating to turn his back uiwn the duellist. 
" It’s not quite safe. You may fancy to begin your game of touch-trigger a 
second too soon. Wo must get out of doors before you do. Besides, gentle- 
men 1” he continued, addressing himself to those around him, " there should 
be some system alxmt this. If they are to fight, let it be fair for both sides. 
Let them bo armed alike ; and go at it on the stiua-e !” 

“ By all means!” chorused the half-score of spectators, turning their eyes 
towai^s the disputants, to see if they accepted the proposal. 

“ Neither of you can object?” continued the major, interrogatively. 

, “ I sha’n’t object to anything that’s fair,” assented the Irishman — " devil 

a bit !” 

" I shall fight with the weajHjn I hold in mj' hand,” doggedly declared 
Calhoun. 

" Agreed ! the very weapon for me !” was the rejoinder of his adversary. 

" I see you both carry Colt’s six-shooter No. 2,” said the major, scanning 
the pistols held in hand. “ So far all right I you’re anned exactly alike.” 

"Have they any other weapons?” inquired young Hancock, suspecting 
that under the cover of his coat the ex-captain had a knife. 

“ I have none,” an.sw'cred the inustunger, with a frankness that left no 
doubt as to his sjjeaking the truth. 

All eyes were turned uimn Calhoun, who appteared to hesitate about 
; making a reply. He saw he must declare himself. 

“ Of course,” he said, “ I have my toothpick as well. You don’t want me 
to give up that ? A man ought to be allowed to use whatever weapon he 
j has got.” 

“ But, Captain Calhoun,” pursued Hancock, “ your adversary has no 
: knife. If you are not afraid to meet him on tx^ual terms you should surrender 
■ yours.” 

“Certainly ho should surrender!” cried several of the bystanders. “He 
must ! he rainst !” 

"Come. Mr. Calhoun!” said the major, in a soothing tone. “Six shots 
ought to satisfy any reasonablo man ; without having recourse to the steel. 
Before you finish fii'ing, one or the other of you ” 

“D — u ibe knife!” interrupted Calhoun, unbuttoning his coat. Then 
: drawing forth the proscribed weapon, flinging it to the farthest comer of the 
‘ saloon, be added, in a tone of bravado, intend^ to encowardice his adversary, 
j “ I sha’n’t w’ant it for such a spangled jay-bird as that. I’ll fetch him out of 
1 his lxx)ts at the first shot.” 

j “ Time enough to talk when you’ve done something to justify it. Cry bo 
1 to a goose; but don’t fancy your big words are going to frighten me, Mr. 
j Calhoun I Quick, gentlemen I I’m impat ent to put an end to his boasting 
^ aad blasphemy I” 


THE HEADLESS nOR8E.MAN. 


lOi 


“Houud!” frantically hi^S(Hl out the cbivnlric Southerner. "Low dog ol 
an Irish dam ! 1 11 send you howling to your kennel! I’ll ” 

" Sliame, Captain Calh un !” interrupted the major, swmded by other 
voices. “ Tins talk is idle, as it is uni)olite in the presence of resin'Ctablo 
company. Have patience a minute longer ; and you may tlu-n B.ay what you 
like. Now, goiitlemou I” he continued, u<ldressing himself to the surround- 
ing, “there is only on. more {)reliminary to bo arranged. They must en- 
gage not to l)egin firing till wo have got out of their way?” 

A dilficulty here presented itself. How was the eneagi'ment to b> given ? 
A simple proiuis • would scarce bo sutficient in a crisis like that? The com- 
batants — one of them at least — would not bo over scrupulous a;t to the 
time of pulling trigger. 

" There must bo a signal,” pursue 1 the major. “ Neither should fire till 
that be given. Can any one suggest what is it to be?” 

“ I think I can,” said the quiet Captain Sloman, advancing ns he spoke. 
“ Lot the gentlemen go outside along with us. I see no difference b»!tween 
them. Lot them enter again — rme at each door, with the understanding 
that neither is to fire before setting foot across the threshold.” 

“ Capital ! tho very thing !” rejdied several voices. 

“ And what for a signal demanded tho major. “ A shot ?” 

“ No. Ring tho tavern bell I” 

“ Nothing could bo belter — nothing fairer,” conclusively declared tho ma- 
jor, making for one of the doors, that led outward into the square. 

“ Mein (iott, major!” screamed tho German Boniface rushing out from be- 
hind his bar ; where up to this time, ho had been standing transfixed with 
fear. “ Mein Qott — surely tho shentk mens pc not going to shoot thi.'ir 
pistliols inside tho shaloon ! Ach! they’ll preak aU my pottles and my 
shplendid l(K)king-glashes, an’ my crystal clock, that hash cost mo von — two 
hund ed dollars. They’ll shpill my pesht liquors — ach! Major ! it’ll ruin 
mo — mein Gott — it will !” 

“ Never fear, Obordoffer !’’ rejoined tho major, pamsing to reply. “ No 
doubt you’ll bo paid for tho damage. At all events, you had bettor b<!tako 
yourself to some place of safety. ” If you stay in your saloon you’ll stand a 
good chance of getting a bullet through your body, and that would bo worso 
than the preaking of your iHDttles.” 

Without further parley the major parted from tho unfortunate landloni, 
and hurried ivcross the threshold into tho street, whither the combatants, who 
had gone out by separate doors, had already proctided him. 

" Old Duffer,” left standing in the midelo of his s inded floor, did not 
reniain long in that inirilous }K)8ition. In six wconds after tho major’s coat- 
tail had disiippctared through tho outer door, an inner one closed upon hi,i 
own skirts ; and the bar-room, with its camphine lamps, its Bi>arkling de- 
canters, and its costly mirrors, was left in untenant^ silenco— no other 
sound being hi'ard save the ticking of its crystal clock. 

CHAPTER XXI. 

’ A DUEIj ■\VmiIN DOORS. 

Oncr outside, the major took no further part in tho affair. As the com- 
manding officer of tho poet, it would have IxK'n out of place for him to 
h.a.ve given encouragement to a fight — (wen by his interfering to see that it 









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106 


THE HEADLESS HORSIMAlf. 


Bliould 1)0 a fair ono. This, liowcvor, was attonclcd to hy tho yonnjyor ofH 
cors ; who at once st't about arraiifrini' tho conditions of tho duel. 

There wa^ not much time consumed. Tlio terms had bt'en expressed 
already; and it only remained to apiwint some ono of tho i>arty to sujmt- 
intend iho ringing of llio bell, whicli was to bo the signal for tho combat 

to commence. i i i. 

This w’as an easy matter, since it made no difference "who might bo en- 
trusti d with the duty. A child might have sounded the summons for tho 
terrible conllict that was to follow 

A stranger, chancing at that moment to ride into tho rude square of 
Avhich the" hdtel “ Hough and Ready ” formed nearly a side, would have 
been sorely ]>uzzled to comprehend what was coming to pass. The night 
Avas rather dark, though there was still light enough to make known tho 
presence of a conglomeration ( f human beings, assembled in the jiroximity 
of the hotel. Most were in military garb : since in addition to the officers 
who had lately figured imide the sakion, others, along with such soldiers 
ns were permitted to pass tho sentries, had ha.xtencd down from the Fort on 
receiving intelligence that something unusual was going on within the 
“ square.” Women, too, but scantily robed— soldiers’ wives, Avasherwomen, 
and “ senoritas ” of more questionable calling — had found their way into 
the street, and Avere endeaA-oring to extract from those Avho had forestalled 

them an explanation of the /rff07.t. 

Tho conversation Avas carried on in low tones. It Avas known that tho 
commandant of tho iiost Avas presimt, as well as others in authority ; and 
this checked any projK-nsity there might linA'o been for noisy demonstration. 

- The crowd thus promiscuously collected, Avas not in close proximity Avith 
the hotel : blit standing Avell oiit in the open ground, about a dozen yanl^s 
from the building. Towards it, howoA'er, the eyes of all AA-ere directed, 
with that steady stare Avhich tells of tho attention being fixed on somo 
cno-rossing sis'ctacle. Thev were watching tho movements of tAvo men. 
whose positions Avere apart— ono at each end of the hcay blockhouse, 
knf>\vn to bo tho bar room of tbo hotel ; and where, as already stated, thero 

Though separated by tho interposition of tAvo thick log walls, and mutu- 
ally inAdsible, these men AA-ere manoeuvering as if actuated by a common 
iin’nulse They stood contiguous to the entrance doors, at opimsite ends ot 
tho bar-room, through both of Avhich glared the light of tho camphino 
lamps— falling in broad divergent bands upon tho rough gravel outside. 
Xeither Avas in front of the contiguous entrance; but a little to one side, 
lust clear of the light. Neither Avas in an upright attitude, but crouching 
—not as if from fear, but like a runner aliout to make a start, and straining 

'^'*Both'weTO'*lS)king inAvards— into the saloon, where no sound could lie 
heard save the ticking of a clock. Their attitudes told of their readiness 
to enter it, and that they were only restrained by waiting for some precon- 

*^That t^ir purpose was a serious one could be deduced from several cir- 
cumstances Both were in their shirt sleeA-es, hatless, and stripped of eyery 
rag that might form an impediment to action ; while on their faces waa 
the stamp of stem determination — alike legible in tho attitudes they had 

ns^imed.^r^ was no fine reflection need.xl to discover their design. Th* 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAlf. 


107 


I 


stranger, chancing to come into the square, could have seen at a glance ^ 
that it Avas deadly. Tho pistols in their hands, c<Kke<l and tightly clutched 
tho nervous energy of their attitudes ; the silence of the croAvd of specta ^ 
tors ; and the concentrated inten'St with which the two men were regarded, 
prcK-laimtHl more eniiihatically than worils, that thero was danger in Avhat , 
they Av.-re iloing— in short, that they Avere engaged in some sort ot a strife, • 
Avitii death for its probable consummation! j 

So it AA-as at that moment Avhen tho crisis had come. The duellists stood, ' 
cacli Avith eye intent ujion tho door, by which ho was to make entrance— ! 
jM-rhai's into eternity ! Th»*y only Avaited for a signal to cross the threshold ; 
and engage in a combat that must terminate tho existence of one or tho i 
other — perhaps both. | 

Were they listening for that fatal formulary; — One — tAA-o — fire? i 

No. Another signal had been agreed upon ; and it Avas given. f 

A stentorian A'oice AA as heard calling out the simple monosyllable — ! 

"Ring I” 

Three or four dark figures could be seen standing by the shorn trunk on i 
AA-hich swung tho taA-ern bell. The command instantly set them in motion ; ■ 

and, along Avith the oscillation of their anns — dimly seen through the dark j 
ness — oould be heard the sonorous tones of a bell, Avhose sounds had l)een 
hitherto hoard only as symbols of joy — calling men together to partake of j 
that Avhich perpetuates life — was noAv listened to as a summons of death 1 

The "ringing in” Avasof short duration Tho bell had made less than a ' 
score of vibrations, when tho men engaged at the ro])e saAv that their serv-ices j 
were no longer required. The disappear i nee of tho duellists, who had rush 1 
ed inside tho saloon, the quick sharp cracking of pistols; the shiA-ering of 
broken glass, admonisherl the ringers that theirs was but a sujx'rfluous noise; ■ 
and. dropping the rope, they stowi like tho rest of the crowd, listening to the ^ 
conflict inside. 

No eyes — saA-o those of the combatants themselves — were witnesses to 
that strange duel. 

At the first dong of the bell both combatants had re-entered the room, i 
■ Neither made an attempt to skulk outside. To have done so would have ; 
been a ruin to reputation. A hundred eyes were upon them ; and the spec- , 
tators understood the conditions of the duel — that neither was to fire before 
crossing the threshold. 

Once inside, the conflict commenced, the first shots filling the room with 
smoke. Both kept their feet, though both were Avounded — their blood 
spurting out over the sanded floor. 

The second shots were also fired simultaneously, but at iandom, tho smoke 
hindering tho aim. 

Then c.'vme a single shot, quickly followed by another, and succeeded by an 
interval of quiet. 

Previous to this the combatants had been heard rushing about through 
the room. This noise was no longer being made. 

Instead there Avns profound silence. Had they killed one another ? Were 
both dead ? No ! Once more the double detonation announced that both 
still lived. Tlte suspension had been caused as they stood peering through 
the smoke in the endeavor to distinguish one another. Neitlier spoke or 
sMrred in fear of betiaj-ing hie position. 

A'rain then) was a period of tranquillity similar to tho former, but more 

prolonged. 








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THB HEADLESS HORSEMAK. 


Tt endod by another exchanpro of shots, almost instantly succ<>eded by th« 
fallin;:; of two heavy bodies uj)on the fi<K)r. 

There was the soundofspniwing— the overturning of chairs; then a single 

,]iot the eleventh — and this was the last that was fired 1 

The spectators outside saw only a cloud of sulphurous smoko oozing out 
of both doors and dimming the light of the caniphino lamps. This, wit ■ 
an occasional flash of brighter eflTulgence, close followed by a crack, was al : 

that occurred to give satisfaction to the eye. i • 

But the ear— that was gratified by a greater variety. There were liear 
allots— after the bell had become silent, other sounds; the sharp shivering c. 
broken *g!a.ss. the duller crash of falling furniture, rudely overturned in ear;-, 
est Btru'rgle— the trampling of feet upon the Imarded floor— at intervals tl;e 
clear ringing crack of the revolvers ; but neither of the voices of the men 

whose insensate passions were the cause of all this commotion I 

The crowd in the stn'et heard the confused noises, and noted the intervals 
of silence, without being exactly able to interpret them The rei^rts of the 
pistols were all they had to proclaim the progress of the duel. Eleven had 
been counted ; and in breathless silence they w; rc listening for the twelfth. 
Instead of a pistol report their ears were gratified by the soimd of a voice 

roco'^iAed as that of the mustanger, , , i 

“ yiy pistol is at your head 1 I have one shot left — make an apology , or 

this the crowd had become convinced that the fight was approaching 
its termination. Some of the more fearless looking in Udield a strange 
scene They saw two men lying prostrate on the plank floor ; both with 
bloodstained habiliments, both evidently disabled ; the white sand around 
them reddened with their gore, tracked with tortuous trails, where they had 
crawled closer to get a last shot at each other — one of them, in scarlet scarf 
and shushe I velvet trousers, slightly surmounting the other, and holding a 
nistol to his head that thriaitened to deprive him of life. - , 

Such w \8 the tableau that presented itself to the spectators, as tho su - 
phurous smoke, drifted out by the current between tho two doors, gave them 
a cliancc of distinguishing objects within tho ^loon. 

At the same instant, a different voice from that which had ah^y spoken. 
It was that of Calhoun— no longer iu roistering bravado, but in low whin- 

lag accents, almost a whisper. _ , . „ 

“ Enough, d — n it I Drop your shootmg-iron— I apologize. 


CHAPTER XXn. 

I 

AN TTirKNOWN DONOB. 

Texas a <Atel is not even a nine w^ 

talked about by the end of the third day ; and, at the ° 

iTno Cffor ufouBlil ot ojcepl l.y the r-t-dpals thcn,»Ir«. or .he,r .mm.- 

portio. «ro -roll known, nnd ol renpoCnbl. 
stnnding innociMy. Wlicii too duellistn are ot liumMe jioiilion— or, n. la 



A 




TUB HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 10‘J ] 

often tlio case, strangers in the place — a single day may suflico to doom 
their achievement to oblivion; to dwell only in the memory of the com 
hatant who has survived it — oftorcr one than l>oth — and pcriiaps some ill- 
starred spectator, who has been bored by a bullet, or received tho slash of a 
knife, not designed for him. 

More than once have I been witness to a “ street fight ” — improvised, upon 
t' c pavement — where some innoccuous citizen, sauntering carelessly along, 
lias become tho victim— oven unto death — of this irregular method of seek 
iug “ satisfaction.” 

I have never heard of any punishment awarded, or damages demand- 
ed, in such cases. They are regarded as belonging to the ” chapter of acci 
dents !” 

Though Cassius Calhoun and Maurice Gerald were both comparatively 
strangers in tho senth uient — the latter being only st-en on occasional visits 
to the Fort — tho aflair between them causeil somelhuig iiu<ro than tho usual 
Interest ; and was talked about for the full period of tho nine days. Tho 
cliaracter of tho former as a noted bully, and that of tho latter as a man of 
singular liahitudes, guve to their duello a ce?rtain sort of distinction; and 
the merits aud demerits of tho two uien were freely discussed for slays 
after the aft’air liad taken place — nowhere with more e.'imcstncss tlian ui>oiv 
the spot where they had shod each other’s blood — in the bar room of tho 
hotel. 

The conqueror had gained credit and frii-nds. There were few who 
favored his adversary ; and not a lew who were gratifiwl at tho result : for 
short as had been the tlniesiuco Calh >un’s arrival, there was more than ono 
saloon lounger who hf.d felt the smart of his insolence. 

For this it was preimined tho young Irishman li.ud administered a cure; 
and there was almost universal sa'isfaction at the result. 

How tho ex-captain carried his discomfituro no ono could tell. lie w.is 
no longer to bo seen swaggering in tho saloon of the “ Rough and Ready ;” 
though the cause of bis absence was well understood. It was not chagrin, 
but his couch ; to which ho was confined by wounds, that, if not skilfullj 
treated, might contigii him to his cotiin. 

Maurice was iu like manner compelled to stay within doors. Tho inju- 
ries he had received, though not so severe ns those of his antagonist, were 
nevertheless of each a character as to make it nccessary tor him to keep to 
his chamber — a sma'l and scantily fumislied bedroom in “Old DulTer’s’ 
hotel ; where, notwithstanding the eclat derived from his conquest, he was 
somewhat scurvily treated. 

In tho hour of his triumph, ho had fainted from loss of blood. lie C'.uld 
not lie taken clsewlM-ro .■ though, in tho shabby apartment to which he had 
been consigned, he might have thought of tho luxurious care that surround- 
ed the couch of his wounded antagonist. Fortunately Pholim was by hia 
side, or he might hive been still worse attended to. 

“Be Saint Pathrick I it’s a shame,” half soliloquized this faithful follower. 
"A humin’ shame lo squeeze a rintleman into a hole like this, not bigger 
than a pigstoy ! A gintleman like you, Masther Maurice. An’ thin such 
aytin’ and drinkin’. Ochl a well fid Oirish pig wud turn up its nose at 
such traytment. An’ fwhat div yez think I’ve beerd Owld Duffer ta.lki*' 
about below ?” 


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110 


TUB IIKA1>LK8)> IIORSKMAX. 


“I liavn’t the BlightCBt idoa, niy dear Phclim ; nor do I care a straw U 
know what you’ve heard Mr. Ob<*rilofler saying l)elow ; but if you don’t 
want him to hear what you are Baying above, you’ll moderate your voice a 
little. Remember, tna bohil, that the partitions in this place are only lath 
and plaster.” 

“ Divil take the partitions ; and divil bum them, av he loikee. Av yez 
don’t care fur fwat’s Bed, I don’t care far fwat’s heeurd — not the pnni)])in’ a\ 
mo fingerB. The Dutchman can’t trato us any worse than he’s b«'en doin' 
already. For all that, Masther Maurice, I thought it bist to lit you know.” 

" lA)t me know then. What is it ho has bt-en saying ?” 

“Will, thin; I heerd him tollin’ wan av his croneys that b( soides the 
mate an’ the dhrink, an’ the washin’, an’ lodgin', he intinded to make yovi 
pay for the bottles, and glasses, an’ other things, that was broke on the 
night av ihe shindy.” 

“ Me pay ?” 

” Yis, yerself, Masther Maurice; an’ not a pinny charged to the Yankee. 
Now I call that downright rascally mane ; an’ nobody but a dhirty Dutch, 
man wud iver hiv thought av it. Av there be anythin’ to pay, the man 
that’s bate should bo made to ehowlder the damage, an’ that wasn’t a 
discindant av the owld Geralds av Ballyballagh. IIoo — hooch I wndn’t I 
loike to shake a ehaylalah about Duffer’s head for the matther of two 
minutes? Wudn’tl?’ 

" What reason did ho give for saying that I should pay ? Did you hear 
him Btate any ?” 

" I did, masther — the dhirtiest av all ralfiuns. He sid that you were the 
bird in the hand ; an’ he wud kapo ye till yez sittled the score.” 

“ He’ll find himself slightly mistaken aliout that ; and would perhaps do 
' letter by presenting his bill to the bird in the bush. 1 shall Iw willing to 
pay for half the damage done ; but no more. You may tell him so, if he 
Hjxjaksto you about it. And, in troth, Phelim, I don’t know how 1 am to do 
even that. ^ There must have been a good many breakagea. I remember a 
great deal of jingling while wo were at it. If I don’t mistake there was a 
Bmashed mirror, or clwk dial, or Bomething of the kind.” 

” A big lookin’-gla.s8, master ; an’ a crystal somethin’, that was set over 
the clock. They say two hundred dollars. I don’t belave they were worth 
w'an half ar the money.” 

“ Even so, it is a Berious matter to me — just at tliis crisis. I fear, Phelim 
you will have to make a journey to the Alamo, and letch away some of the 
household gods wo have hidden there. To get clear of this scrape I shall 
have to sacrifice my apure, my Bilver cup, and ]wrhapB my gun 1” 

“ Don’t say that, Masther 1 How are wo to live, if the gun goes?” 

“ As wo best can, ma bohil. On horseflesh, I suppose : and tha lazo will 
supply that.” , , 

Be Japers it wudn’t be much worse than the mate Owld Duffer sits afore 
. It gives me the bellyache i'ery time 1 ate it.” , . j 

The conversation was here interrupted by the opening of the chamber door ; 
which was done without knocking. A slatternly servant whow* sex it 
would have been difficult to determine from outwanl indices— apiK-aietl in 
the doorway, with a basket of palmsinnet held extended at the termination 
Ol a long sinewy arm. 


ns 


THB HBADLEBS HORSKMAN. 


in 


“Fwhat is it, Girtrude?” asked Phelim, who, from Bome previous Infonnti 
tion, apfHiared to be acquainted with the feminine character of the intruder 

“ A Bhentlomans prot this.” 

" A gentleman I Who, Gertrude ?” 

" Not know, mein herr ; he wash a strange BhentlemanB." 

’• Brought by a gentleman. Who can ho lie ? See what it is, Phelhn.” 

Phelim undid the fastenings of the lid, and exposed the interior of the 
basket. It was one of considerable bulk : since inside were discovered several 
b.)ttles, apparently containing wines and coidials, packe<l among a parapher- 
nalia of BW(>etme.ats, and other delicacies — lioth of the confectionary and the 
kitchen. There was no note accompaning tho prcwsnt — not even a direction 
— but the trim and elegant stylo in which it was done up proved that it had 
proceeded from the hands of a lady. 

Maurice turned over the various articles, examining each, as Phelim sup- 
posed, to take note of its value. Little was ho thinking of this, while Bc.arch- 
ing for the" Invoice.” 

There proved to lie none — not a scrap of paper — not so much as a card ! 

Tho generosity of tho supply — well timeil as it was — bespoke the donor to 
bo some person in affluent circumstances. Who conld it bo ? 

As Maurice reflected, a fair imago came up]>ermo8t in his mind ; which ho 
could not help connecting w'itli that of his unknown benefactor. Could it Iw 
Ijouiso Poindexter ? 

In spite of certain improbabilities, ho was fain to lielievoit might ; and, so 
long as the Indief lasted, his heart was <iuivcring with a sweet beatitude. 

As he continued to n^flect, tho improbabilities appeared too streng for this 
pleasant supposition ; his faith became overturned ; and there remained only 
a vague unsubstantial hope. 

“ A gintleman lift it,” sfoko the Connemara man, in Bemi-8olilo»piy. " A 
gintleman, she sez ; a kind gintleman, I say I Who div yez think ho was, 
masther?” 

“ I haven’t tho slightest idea; unless it may have been some of the offi- 
cers of the Fort ; though I could hardly expect one of them to think of mo 
in this fashion.” 

“ Nayther yez need. It wasn’t wan av them, ^o officer, or gintleman 
aylher, phut them things in tho basket.” 

“ Wliy do you think that ?” 

“ Fwhy div I think it ! Och, Masther ! is it yerself to ask the quistynn ? 
Isn’t there tho smell av swate finger aliout it? Jist look at tho nate way 
them jHiiiers is tied up. That puriy kreel was niver packed by tho hand av 
a man. It was done by a wuinon ; and I’ll warrant a raal lady at that.” 

"Nonsense, Phelim I I know no lady who should take so much intensst 
in me.’’ 

“Aw, murdher! AVliat a thumpin’ big fib I I know wun tint shud. It 
wud be black ungratytude av she didn’t — afther what yez did for her. 
Didn’t yez save her life into tho bargain ? 

"Of whom are you speaking?” 

“ Now, don’t be desateful, masther. Yez know that I mane tho purty 
cra^^her that come to the but ridin’ Spotty that you presinted her, widoat nv 
savin a dollar for the mare. If it wasn’t her that sint yo this ham|s'r, thin 
Phaylim Onale is the biggest numskull that was iver bom about BaU’ybal* 


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112 


THE HEADLESS HOUSEMAN. 


Isfr’i. Bo the Var:;iii, lu.TRtlicr, spcakin’ of thoowld place idiula mo in mind 
of its paplo. Fwliat wud tho hlue-oyed colleen say, if bIio knew ycz were in 
Bitch (langor heeurV” 

“ Dun;;er ! it’s all over. Tho doctor has said so ; and that I may go out of 
doors in a week from this ti.iic. Don’t distress yourself about that.” 

Troth, inasther, ye-z bo only talkin’. That isn’t tho dan^jer I was drhamin 
av. Yez know will enough what I mane. Maybo yez have n-saved a 
wound from brifrlit eyes, worse than that from lid bullets. Or, mayl>e,Bomo- 
body ilso has ; an’ that’s why yc’vo had tho tlunj^s sinl ye.” 

“ You’re all wronjr, Phelim. Tho thin<j must have come from tho Fort ; 
but whether it did, or not, there’s no reason why wo should stand upon cer- 
emony with its contents So, here gews to make trial of tliem !” 

Nothwithstandinjr the apparent relish with which tho invalid jiartook of 
the ]>roducth — lH)th of adlar and eui.unr — while eatiiift and ilrinkin;^, liis 
tlioiifrhts were occupied with a still more agreeable theme; with a strinp of 
dreamy conjectures, as to whom he was indebted for tho princely present. 

(louM it 1)0 tho younfj Creole — tho cousin of his direst enemy, as well as 
Ids rei)uted sweetheart ? 

The thing a])j)earf!d improbable. 

If not she, who else could it bo? 

The mustanger would have given a horse — a whole drove — to have been 
assured that I»uise Poindexter was the provider of that luxurious refection. 

Two days elaj)sed, and tho donor still remained unknown. 

Then the invalid was once more agreeably surprised, by a second present 
—very similar to the first — another basket, containing other bottles, and 
crammed with fresh “confections.” 

Tho Bavarian wench was again questionel; but with no better result. 
A “ shentlemnns” had “prot” it — the same “stranger shentlcmans” as 
before. She could only add that “ the shentlemans ” was very “ tchwarlz* 
Wore a glazed hat, and came to the tavern mounted ujx)n a mule. 

Maurice did not aj)iH'ar to bo gratifii‘d with this description of tho un- 
known donor ; though no one — not even Phelim — was made the confidant 
of his thoughts. 

In two tlays afterwanls they were toned down to tho former sobriety — on 
the receipt of a ihinl basnet, “ prot by the schwartz shontleman ” in tho 
glazed hat, who came mounted uf)on a mule. 

Tho change could not be exi)lained by the belongings in tho basket — 
almost the counterpart of what had been sent before. It might be account- 
ed for by the contents of a billet dotuc, that accompanied tho gift — attached by 
a ribl)on to tho wickerwork of palm-sinnet. 

“ ’’i’is only Isidora !” muttered tho mustanger, as he glanced at the super 
HCn])tion u|)on the note. 

Tl»cu oiKming it with an air of indifference, ho read 

"Qntrido Setior ! 

“ Soy quedntuio j)or una temana en la casa del tio Silvio. J)e vuestra dcffortuna 
la oido — tamhien que V. e»ta mol eiudado en la fondo. JTe tnandado algunat eonitat, ' 
Sea graciota u»arlo», como una chiquitita inemoria del tervicio grande de que vuetira 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


1 to 


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I 

^^ eeioy En la tilla toy eseribando, eon lot etpuelat preparadas taear tanore iU I 
a/'* 7 -R'o Grande. ^ ! 

-M .S™». G^M." 

r«n “““ tho note 

hono’I'.i^SMer™' -Latte .„,,tean hTelLtey 

“ ISIDOIIA CoVAUt’BIO DK LOS Ll,VNOS.’' 

♦1 Isidora I” muttered the mustanger ns horefoldeil 

Ji!) f carelessly upon the coverlet of iVis il, - S 

lJu kind I But for Louise Poindexter, I might have loved 


CHAPTER XXIII. 

TOWS OP VENOEAHCE. 

Calhoun, chafing in his chamber, was not tho object of such assiduous so. 
iving cmatur,. Trnte Belli,!. In hi, own" e«; 

Ix-'his’d'l^th'bid^ <^nfined to his couch— not without some fears that it might 
bi. Ins death-bed— he experienced tho miserv of a man believing that no hii 
man Uung cared a straw whether he should live or die. ^ ^ 

An ysympathv shown to him, was upon tho score of relalionshin Tt 
wuld .scarce have been otherwise. His conduct towards his cousins hall not 

IweSr felt^r"”!^ I'is uncle, the proud Woodley 

subd^^ Bometlung akin to aversion, mingled with I 

It is true that this feeling was only of recent origin ; and arose out of 
oTisted between uncle and nephew. As already hinted 
they stood to one another in the relationship of debtor and creditor-iir mnrt 

S'uT I^>ug the latter. To such an extent had 

t^s indebtness be^ earned, that Cassius Calhoun was in effect tho real 


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114 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAX. 


Conscious of liis power, he had of late been using it to effect a particular 
purpose ; that is, tbs Becurinpf^ for his wife, the woman he had long fiercely 
loved — his cousin Louise. Ho had come to know that he stood but little 
chance of obtainin g her consent : for she had taken but slight pains to con- 
ceal her mdiffereaco to his suit. Trusting to the peculiar influence estab- 
lished over her father, he had determined on taking no slight denial. 

Tliese circumstances considered, it was not strange that the ex-offlcer of 
Tolunieers, when stretched ujion a sick bed, received less sympathy from 
his relatives than might otherwise have been extended to him. 

While dreading death — which for a length of time ho actually did — ho 
had become a little more amiable to those around him. The agreeable 
mood, however, was of short continuance ; and, once assured of recovery, 
all the natural savageness of his disposition was restored, along with the 
additional bitterness arising from his recent discomfiture. 

It had been the pride of liis life to exhibit himself as a successful bully — 
the master of every crowd that might gather around him. lie could no 
longer claim this credit in Texas ; and the thought harrowed his heart to 
its very core. 

To figure as a defeated man before all the women of the settlement — 
above all in the eyes of her ho adored, defeated by one whom he suspected 
of being his rival in her affections — a mere nameless adventurer — was too 
much to bo endured with equanimity. Even an ordinary man would have 
been pained by the infliction. Calhoun writhed under it. 

He had no idea of enduring it, as an ordinary man would have done. If 
ho could not escape from the disgract', ho was determined to revenge him- 
self upon its author ; and as soon as ho had recovered from the apprehen- 
sions entertained about the safety of his life, ho commenced reflecting upon 
this very subject. 

Maurice, the ntustanger, must die I If not by his (Calhoun’s) own hand, 
the.i by the hand of another, if such an one was to be found in the settle- 
ment. There could not be much dilliculty in procuring a confederate. 
There are bravoe$ upon the broad prairies of Texas, as well as within the 
walls of Italian cities. Alas 1 there is no spot upon earth where gold can- 
not command the steel of the assassin. 

Calhoun possessed gold — more than sufficient for such a purpose ; and 
to such purpose did ho determine upon devoting at least a portion of it. 

In the solitude of his sick chamlxT he set about maturing his plans ; 
which comprehended the assassination of the mustanger. 

He did not purpose doing the deed himself. His late defeat ha<l rendered 
liini fearful of chancing a second encounter with the same adversary — even 
under tiio advantageous circumstances of a surprise. He had become too 
much encowardized to play the assassin. He wanted an accomplice — an 
arm to strike for him. Where was he to find it 

Unluckily ho knew, or fancied he knew, the very man. There was a 
Mexican at the time making abode in the village — like Maurice himself — 
a mustanger , but one of those with whom the young Irishman had shown 
a disinclination to associate. 

As a general rule, the men of this peculiar calling are amongst the great- 
cet reprobates, who have their home in the land of the “ Lone Star.” By 
birth and breed they are mostly Mi'xicans, or mongrel Indians ; though, 
not unfirequently, a Frenchman, or American, finds it a congenial calling. 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


115 


They are usually the outcasts of civilized society — oftencr its outlaws — whes f 
in the excitement of the ciiase, and its concomitant dangers, find, perhaps, ^ 
some sort of salvo for a conscience that has been severely tried. 

While dwelling within the settlements, these men are not unfrequently i 
the pests of the society that surrounds tliem — ever engaged in broil and | 

debauch ; and when abroad in the exercise of their calling, they are not • 

always to bo encountered with safety. More than once is it reoirded in tho 
history of Texas how a company of mustangers has, for tho nonce, convert- j 

cd itself into a band of cuadriUa of snTicadorts ; or, disguised os Indians, | 

Isvied black mail upon the train of the prairio travidler. 

One of this kidney was tho individual who had become recalletl to tho 
memory of Cassius Calhoun. The latter remembered having met tho man 
in the bar-room of the hotel ; upon sever.il occasions, but more especially 
on the night of the duel. Ho ri'inombered that he had been one of those 
who had carried him home on tho stretcher ; and from some extravagant 
ex]>resaions he had made use of, when speaking of his antagonist, Calhoun 
had drawn tho deduction, that tho Mexican was no friend to Maurice the j 
mustanger. j 

Since then he had learnt that ho was Maurice’s deadliest enemy — himself ‘ 

CXCej)tl-d. I 

With these data to proceed upon the ex-cajitain had called the Mexican | 
to his counsels, and the two were often closeted together in tho cham’oor of \ 
the invalid. 1 

There was nothing in all this to excite suspicion — even had Calhoun cared j 

for that. His visitor was a deah r in horses and horned cattle. Some trans- j 

action in horseflesh might be going on b(,t%veen them. So any one would 1 

have snjipo.sed. And so fora time thought the Mexican himself ; for in ' 

their first i Uerview, but little other busini'ss was transacted. The astute I 

Mississippian knew better than to declare his ultimate designs to a stranger ; > 

who, after completing an advantageous hor.'»e-tratle, was well supplied with ! 
whatever ho chose to drink, and cunningly cross-questioned as to tho rola- i 
tions in which ho stood tf wards Maurice the mustanger. I 

In that first interview, the ex-oflicer of volunteers learnt enough to know, 
that ho might depend u|Km his man for any service ho might requirt^ 
even to the committal of murder. j 

The Mexican made no <ccret of his heartfelt hostility to tho young mus- 
tanger. Ho did not declare the exact cause of it ; hut Calhoun could guess, j 
by certain innuendos introduced during the conversation, that it was tho ' 
same as that by which he was himself actuated — the same to which may bo ^ 

trac d almost every quarrel that has occurred among men, from Troy to ! 
Texas — a woman I ' 

The Helen in this case appeared to Iw some dark-eyed doncfUa dwelling 
upon tho Rio Grande where Maurice had In-en in tho habit of making an ! 

occasional visit, in whoso eyes ho had found favor, to tho disadvuntago of j 

her own eenpaisam. i 

The Mexican did not <dvo tho name ; and Calhoun, as ho listened to his ! 
explanations, only hoped in his heart that tho damsel who had slighted him ’ 
might have won the heart of his rival. j 

During his days of convalescence, several interviews had taken place bo. . 

tween tho cx-c.aptain and tho intended accomplice in his purioses of ven- ! 

geanco — enough, ouo might su'pjiose, to have rendered them complete. 



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i IIG 

, Whether they were so, or not, and wliat tho nature of their iieliish de 
•1 siprns, were things known only to the brace of kindred contederates. Tlu 

j outside world but knew that Captain Cassius Calhoun and Miguel Diaz 

known by tho nick name “ El Coyote,” appeared to have taken a fancy for 
j keeping each other’s company ; while the most respectable portion of it 
wonder^ at such an ill-starred association, 
i 


OUAPTER XXIV. 

0^' THE AZOTEX. 

TnEUE are no sluggards on a Texan plantation. The daybreak begins the 
day ; and the bell, couch, or the cowhorn, that summons the dark-skinned 
proletarians to their toil, is alike the signal for their master to forsake his 
more luxurious couch. 

Such was the custom of Casa del Corvo under its original owners ; and 
tho fashion was followed by the family of the American ])lanter — not from 
any ideaof precedent, but simply in obedience to the suggestions of Nature. 
In a climate of almost jierpetual spring, the sweet matutinal moments are 
not to bo wasted in sleep. The siVitu belongs to the hours of noon; when 
all nature appears to shrink under tho smiles of the solar luminary— as if 
surfeited with their superabundance. 

On his reappearance at morn the sun is greeted with renewed joy. Then 
do the tropical binls spn-ad their re.«i)lendent ])lumago — the flowers their 
dow-lx*sprinkled petals — to reci-ive his fervent kisses. All nature again 
seems glad to acknowledge him as its god. 

Resplendent as any bird that flutters among the foliage of south-western 
Texas— fair as any flower that blooms within its glades— was she who ap- 
pearl'd ujion tho housetop of (’asa did C'orvo. 

Aunira herself, rising from her roseate couch, looked not fresher than tht 
young Creole, as she stood contemjdating the curtains of that very couch, 
from which a Texan sun was slowly uplifting his globe of burning gold. 

yiie was standing upon tho edge ot the azotea that fronted towards tho 
oast ; her white hand resting upon the cojH'stone of the parajict still wet 
with tho dews of the night. Under her tyes was the garden, enclosed 
within a curve of the river ; beyond — the blufl formed by the opposite bank ; 
and further still the wide spreading plateau of the prairie. 

Was she looking at a landscape, that could scarce fail to chalenge admira- 
tion V No, ^ 

Equally was slio unconscious of the ascending sun ; though, like some fair 
pagan, did she appear to 1x3 in prayer at its uprising I 

Li8teni3d she to the voices of tho birds from garden and grovo swelling 
harmoniously around her ? 

On the contrary, her ear was not bent to catch any sound, nor her eye in- 
tent ujxm any obji'ct. Her glance was wandering, as if her thoughts went 
not with it, but were dwelling ujxm some theme, neither present nor near. 

In contrast with tho cheerful brightness of the sky, there was a shadow 
upon her brow ; despite tho joyous warbling of the birds, there was tho 
■ign of Badness on her cheek. 


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TUB IIKADLBSS UUR8EMAN. HI 

She was alone. There was no one to take noij of this melancholy mood, I 
nor inquire into its cause. [ 

The cause was declared in a few low murmured words, that fell, as if in 
voluntarily, from her lips. 

“ Ho may bo dangerously •wounded — perhaps even to death 

Who was tho object ol tlus sullcitude so hypothetically expressed? 

Tho invalid that lay below almost under her feet, in a chamber of th« ' 
hacienda — lier cousin, Cassius Calhouu? 

It could scarce 1x3 ho. Tlio doctor had the day before pronounced him 
out of dangt3r, and on the way to quick nx-overy. Any one listening to her 
wililoquy — after a time continued in the same sad tone — would have Isti.i i 
conviiKX'd it was not he. 

“ I may not 8(3nd to inijuire. I dare not even ask nftiu him. I fear to 
trust any of our ixsjple. He luny Ixs in some iMX)r jilace — isTliajx} uneour 
teously treated — ]x;rhaps neglected ? Would tliat I could convey to him a 
me.s.sage — sometiiing more — without any one being tho wiser ! I wonder' 
what has lx3come of Zeb Slump ?” 

As if some instinct wliispered her, that there was a possibility of ZeH 
making his appearance, she turned her eyes towards the plain on the opixvf, 
site side of tho river — wliero a ma 1 led uj) and down. It was the commoni 
highway Ixitweeii Fort luge and the plantations on tho lower Leona. I:' 
traversed the prairie at some distance from the river bank; approaching ii' 
only at one point, where the, channel curved into the base of tho biurfs| 
A reach ot the road, of half a mile in length, was visible in tho direction o' 
the Fort; as also a cross-path that led to a ford ; thence running on to thi 
hacienda. In tho opjxisite direction — down tho stream— the view was o|x 3 r 
for a like length, until the chapparal on both sides closing in, teriniuatci 
the savanna. 

Tho young lady scanned the road leading towards Fort Inge, Zeb Stumj; 
should come that way. He was not in sight ; nor was any one else. [ 

Slie could not feel disapixiintment. She had no reason to expect hini' 
She had but raised her eyes iu olxidienco to an instinct. ; 

Something more than instinct caused her, after a time, to turn round, ami 
scrutinize tho plain in tlie opiiosito quarter. 1 

If expecting some one to apjK-ar that way, she ■was not disapjKiinted. / 
horse was just stepjiing out from among tho trees, where tho road debouch 
«d from tho chapparal. He was ridden by one, who, at first sight, appeann 
to 1x3 a man, clad in a sort of Arab costumo; but w’ho, on closer scrutiny! 
and despite the style of equitation — a la Buchcio^ tie Brrri — was unquestiou' 
ably of the other sex — a lady. There was noi, much of her face to be scon I 
but through the shadowy ojwning of tho rehozo — rather cnrcle.ssly tapa/la-. 
wuld be traced an oval facial outline, somewhat browmly " coraplectwl.’l 
but with a carmine tinting upon tho cheeks, and alxive this a pair of eye' 
■whose sparkle appe-'rod to challenge comparison with tho brightest objeeJ 
either on tho earth, or in tho sky. I 

Neither did the loosely falling folds of the lady’s scarf, nor her somewhaf 
outre attitude in the saddle, liindc' tho nhserver from coming to the conclu,' 
sion, that lier figure was quite as attractive as her face. 

The man following uix>n tho mule, six lengths of his animal In the roai! 
by his costumo — as well as the respectful distance observed — was evident!’’ 
only an attendant. 

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Who can that woman Vo V ” was the muttered interrogatory of Lou^ 
Poindexter, as with quick action she raised the lorgnette to her eyes, a’xl 
directed it u^xin the oudly aitparelled tigure. “ Who can she be?” was re- 
peated in a lone of greater deliberation, as the glass came down, and ibo 
naked eye was entrusted to complete the scrutiny. “ A Mexican of course: 
the man on the mule her servjiut. Some grand senora, 1 supitose V 1 
thought they had all gone to tiie other side of the liio tirande. A basket 
carried by ibe attendant. 1 wonder wliat it contains ; and what errand she 
can have to ilie Port — it may be the village. "I'ls the third time I’ve seen 
her psussiug within this week V She must be from some of the plantations 
btdow ! 


What an outlandish stylo of riding! Pardku ! I’m told it’s not un- 
comm<)n among the daughters of Anahuac. VV'hat if 1 were to take to it 
myself V No doubt it’s much the easiest way ; though if such a s|)ectacle 
were seen iu the Slates it would be styled unfeminine. How our Puritan 
mammas w'ould scream out against it I i think 1 hear them, lla, ha, hal” 
The mirth thus liegotten was but of motneutary duration. There came a 
change over the countenance of the Creole, quick ns a drifting cloud dark- 
ens the disc of the sun. It was not a return to that melancholy so late 
shadowing it ; though something equally serious — as might be told by the 
sudden blanching of her cheeks. 

: The cause could only be looked for in the movements of the scarfed 
equestrian on the other side of the river. An antelope had sprung up, out of 
some low shrubbery growing by the roadside. The cn>nture appeared to 
have made its first bound from under the counb'r of the horse — a splendid 
animal, that, in a moment after, was going at lull gallop in j)ur8uit of the 
iaft’righted “ i)ronghorn wliile his rider, with her rel)f)zo suddenly flung 
from her face, its fringed t'nds streaming behind her back, was seen describ- 
ing, with her right arm, a series of circular sweeps in the air 1 
I “ What is the woman going to do ?” was the mutten'd interrogatory of 
the spectator upon the house-top. “ Ilal As 1 live, ’tis a la/x>!” 

> The senora was not long in giving proof of skill in the use of the nation- 
al implement : — by flinging its noose around the antelojHj’s neck, and throw- 
ing the creature in its tracks I 

j The attendant rode up to the place where it lay struggling ; dismounted 
from his mulo ; and, 8too|)ing ova'r the prostrate i)ronghorn, appeared to ad- 
minister the rmip de grace. Then, flinging th(i carcass over the croup of his 
'.addle, he climbed back upon his mule, and spurred after his mistress — who 
aad already recovered her la/.o, readjusted her scarf, and was riding onward, 
IS if nothing had occured worth waiting for ! 

I It avas at that moment — when the noose was seen circling in the air — 
'h.at tho shadow had reapi^eared upon the countenance of the Creole. It 
vas not surprise that caused it, but an emotion of a different character — a 
bought far more unpleasant. 

I Nor did it pass speedily away. It was still there — though a white hand 
lolding tho lorp^nette to her eye might have hindered it from being seen — 
dill there, as long as the mounted figures were visible upon the open road •, 
nd even after they had passed t>ut of sight l>ehind the screening of the 
cacias. 

j “ I wonder — oh, I wonder if it Ik? she? My own age, ho said — not quite 
! • t.ill. Tho description suits — so far as one may judge at this distance, 
her home on the Bio Grande, Comes occasionally to the Leona, to 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


113 


visit some relatives. Who, Who are they? Why did I not ask him the 
name ? 1 wonder — oh, I wonder if it be she !” 


CHAPTER XXVI. 

A GIFT UNOIVEN. 

For some minutes after the lady of the lazo and her attendant had passe<l 
out of sight, Ijouise Poindexter pursued the tra.n of reflection — started by 
the somewhat singular episotle of which she had been spectator. Her atti- 
tude, and air of continued dejection, told her that that her thoughts had 
not been directed into a more cheerful channel. 

Rather the reverse. Once or twice beloro had her mind given way to im- 
aginings, connected with that accomplished eqiia-trienne ; and more than 
once had she speculated upon her purpose in riuing up the road. Tho inci- 
dent just witnessed had suddenly changed her conjectures into suspicions of 
a.i exceedingly unpleasant nature. 

It was a relief to her, when a horseman appeared coming out of the chap 
paral, at the point where the others had ridden in ; a still greater relief, 
when ho was seen to swerve into tho cross ])ath that con<iuctt*d into tho haci- 
enda, ai£d was recognized, through the lorgnette, ns Zeb Stump the hunter. 

The face of the Creole became bright again — almost gaiety. There was 
something ominous of good in the opjwrtuno ajtpearanco of tho honest 
backwoodsman. 

"The man I was wanting to see I” site exclaimed in joyous accents, “lie 
can bear me a message ; and perhaps tell who she is. He must have met 
her on the road. That will enable me to introdisce tho subject, withouv|’‘ I 
Zeb having any suspicion of my object. Even v. itii him 1 must be circum-’ 
ej)ect — after what has hapjHJned. Ah, me ! Not much should I care, if I '- 
were sure of his caring lor me. How provoking bis inditVereiice ! And t«i 
me — Louisa Poindexter! Pardieu ! I^et it proceed much further, and 1 
shall try to escape from the toils, if — if — 1 should crush my p(K)r heart in 
the attempt!” 

It need scarce be said that the individual, whose esteem was so coveted, 
was not Zeb Stump. 

Her next speech, however, was addressed to Zeb, ns he reined up in< front 
of the hacienda. 

“ Dvar Mr. Stump !” hailed a voice, to which the old hunter dclighte<l to 
listen. “I’m so glad to H<‘e you. Dismount, and come up herel I know 
you’re a famous climber, and won’t mind a flight or stone stairs. There o 
a view from this house-top that will reward yrtu for your trouble.” 

Thur’s suthin’ on the house-top thei ar,” rejoined the hunter, "the view 
o which ’ud reward Zeb Stump for climbin’ to the top o’ a steamboat 
chimbly ; and thet’s yourself Mis.s Lewase. I'll kiin up, so<m as I ha’ 
skibled the ole maar, which shall be dud in the shakin’ o’ a goat’s tail. 
Geo-up, ole gal I” he continued, addressing himself to the mare after ho 
ha'l dismounted, "Hold up yur head, and may be Piute liyur’ll gie yea 
wheen o’ corn shucks for yur breakfist.” 

“ — ho! Mass ’Tump,” interposeil the sable coachman, making his ap- 

pearance in the patio. “ l)at same do dia niggn — gub um de shucks wi’ d€»- 


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120 


THE IIKADLESB IIORREMAK. 


yaller corn inside ob dem. Ho— ho I You gwup ’tair to do young missa; 
an’ Piute he no ’gleck yar old mar.” 

“ Yur a dod rotted gfxxi samido o’ a nigger, Piute ; an’ the nix occashun 
I shows about byur, I’ll fetch you a 'possum— wi’ the meat on it as tender 
as a two^year old chicken. Thet’s what I’m Iwun’ ter do.” 

After delivering himself of this promise, Zeb commenced ascending the 
stone stairway ; not by single steps, but by two, and sometimes three, at a 
stride. 

He was BO«-<n upon the housetop : where he was once more welcomed by 
the young mistress of tho mansion. _ 

Her excited manner, and the eageme.ss with which she conductwl him to 
a remote part of tho azotea, told the astute hunter, that he hail been sum- 
moneil thither for some other purpose than enjoying the prospect. 

“ 'rdl me, Mr. Stump!” said she, as she clutchoil theslcevcof the blanket 
ci>at in her delicate fingers, and looked imiuiringly into Zeb’s grey eye— 
“ You must know all. How is he V Are his wounds of a dangerous nature?’ 

“ If you refar to Mister Cal — hoon - ’ 

“ ffes no no. I know all about him. It's not of Mr. Calhoun I m 

speaking.” r • 

“ Wall, Miss Lewaze ; thur air only one other as I know of in these 
parts thet hev got w'ownds; an’ thet air’s Maurice tho mowstanger. Mout 
it be thet individooal yur inquirin’ alieout?’’ 

It is it is ! You know I cannot be indifferent to his welfare, notwith- 

standing the misfortune of his having quarrelliHl with my cousin, lou are 
aware that he rescued me — twice I may say — from imminent peril. Tell 
me — is he in great danger ?” 

8 uch carnostnesfl could no loig'or l>o trifled "with. Zeb, without further 

parley, made reply : — ,,,.,.,111 

"Neer a morsel o’ danger. Thur’s a bullet-hole jest above the ankle- 
jeint. It don’t signerfy mom’n the scratch o’ a kitting. Thur’s another 
hev good through the flesh o’ the young felLur s left arm. It don t signerfy 
neytner — only thet it drawed a giMKl sup o’ the red out o’ him. Howsome- 
dover, he’s all right now ; an’ exi^cks to bo out o’ door in a kupple o’ days, 
or tharabout. He sez that an hour in the seddle, an’ a skoot acrosst the 
purayra, 'ud do him more good than all the doctors in Texas. I reckon it 
wud ; but the doctor — it’s tho surgint o’ tho Fort os attends on him — he 
won’t let him git to grass yit a bit.” 

“ Where is he ?” 

"He air stayin’ at the hotel— whar the skrimmage tuk place. 

“ Perhaps he is not well waited upon ? It’s a rough place, I’ve hoard. 
He may not have any delicacies — such ns an invalid stands in need of? 
Stay here, Mr. Stump, till 1 come up to you again. I have something I 
wish to send to him. I know I can trust you to deliver it. Won t you? 
I’m sure you will. I shall be with you in six seconds.” ' 

Without waiting to note the effect of her speech, the young lady tripped 
lightly along the passage, and as lightly descended tho stone stairway. 

Presently she reappeared — bringing with her a good-sizeil hamper; 
which was evidently filled with eatables, with something to send them 

*^*^'^ow, dear old Zeb, you will take this to Mr. Gerald ? It’s only somq 


TBE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


121 


little things that Florinda has put up : some cordials and jellies and the , 
like, such as sick people at times have a craving for. They arc not likely 
to bo kept in tho hotel. Don’t tell him where they come from— aj-ttAcr /urn | 
nor any tnc che. You won’t ? I know you won’t, you good dear giant.” ^ 

“Ye mjiy depc'nd on Zeb Stump for thet. Miss Lewaze. hii)body air a 
goin’ to bo a bit tho wiser alx^ut who sent theso hyur dclekiwies ; though, 
for the matter o’ cakes an’ kickshaws, an’ all that sort o’ thing, the mow- 
stanger hain’t had much reezun to complain. He hev been serpliwl wi’ 
enuf o’ them to hev filkil the bellies o’ a hul school o’ shugarbabbies.” 

“ Ha ! Supplied already 1 By whom ?” 

" Wal, thet thecr this chile can’t inform ye, Miss Lewaze ; not beknowin’ ; 
it hisself. I on’y hyurd they wur fetched to the tavern in baskets, by some ( 
sort o’ a sarvint-man as air a Mexikin. I’ve seed the man myself. Fact, 1 
I’ve jest this minnit met him. ridin’ arter a wuman sot stridy legs in her ' 
seddle, as most o’ these Mexikin weemen ride. I reck’n he bo her sarvingt, | 
as ho war keopin’ a good ways ahiut, and toatin’ a basket jest like one o’ 
them Maurice hed got arready. Like enuf it air another lot o’ kickshaws ^ 
they wur takin’ to tho tavern.” . . [ 

There was no need to trouble Zeb Stump with further cross-questioning. 1 
A whole history was suppliisl l)y that single siKH*ch. The case was pain- ^ 
fully clear. In tho regard of Maurice Gerald, Louise Poindexter had a : 
lival — perhaps something more. The lady of the lazo was either his ^ 
/iawre, or his mistress!” 1 

It was not by accident — though to Zeb S;ump It may have seemed so- — 
that the hamper, steadied for a time, upon tho coping of the balustrade, | 
and still retained in the hand of tho young Creole, e 8 cai>ed from her clutch, [ 
and fell with a crash upon tho stones Vielow. The bottles were broken, and ; 
their contents spilled into the stream that surged along the basement ot 
the wall. 

Tho action of tho arm that produced this effect, apparently sprin^ng 
from .a spasmodic and involutary effirt, was nevertheless due to design ,• 
and Louise Poindexter, as she leant over the parapet and contemplated the , 
ruin she had caused, felt as if her heart was shattered like the glass that 
lay gli.stening below ! 

” How unfortunate !” said she, making a feint to conceal her chagrin. 

“ Tlie dainties are destroyed, I declare ! Wliat will Florinda say ? After 
all, if Mr. Gerald be so well attended to, as you say he is, he’ll not stand in I 
need of them. I’m glad to hear he hasn’t been neglected — one who has | 
done mo n service. But, Mr. Stump, you needn’t say anything of this, or [ 
that I inquired after him. You know his late antagonist is our near rela- ; 
live ; and it might cause scandal in tho settlement. Dear Zeb, you promise j 
me?” j 

" Swa-ar it ef ye like. Nerry word. Miss Lewaze, neery word ye kin de- 
pend on ole Zeb.” | 

" I know it. Cornel The sun is growing hot up here. Let ns go dowm, 
and see whether we can find you such a thing as a glass of your favorite 
Monongahela. Come I” 

With an assumed air of cheerfulness, the young Creole glided across the 
azotea ; and, trilling tho '• New Orleans Waltz,” once more commencad de- 
scending the McarUra. 1 







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122 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


; In cajror acceptance of tlio invitation, the old liunter followed close upon 
J her skins and althouorh, by habit, stoically iudifTerent to feminine charms 
— and with his thoujrhts at that nioinent chiefly bent uj)on the promised 
; Monongahcla — he could not help admiring those ivory shoulders brought so 
j consi)icuously under his eyes. 

j But for a short while was he permitted to indulge in the luxurious spec- 
j taclo. On reaching the bottom of the stair his fair hostess bade him a 
I somewhat abrupt adieu. Alter the revelations he had so unwittingly made, 
his conversation seemed no longer agreeable ; and she, late desirous of in- 
j terrogating, was now contented to leave him alone with the Monongahela, 

( as she hastened to hide her chagrin in the solitude of her chamber. 

I hor the first time in her life Louise Poindexter felt the pangs of jealousy. 

) It was her first real love : for she was in love with Maurice Gerald, 
j A solicitude like that shown for him by the Mexican senora, could scarce 
; sj'yring from simple friendship V. Some closer tie must have been established 
; between them? So ran the retlections of the now suffering Creole, 
j From what Maurice had said — from what she had herself seen — the lady 
I of the lazo was Just such a woman as should win the affections of such 
‘ a man. Ilers were accomplishments ho might naturally be expected to 
i admire. 

< Her figure had appeared perfect under the magnifying effect of the lens. 

‘ The face had not been so fairly viewed, and was still undetermined. Was 
it in corre8|x)ndenco with the form? Was it such as to secure the love of a, 
man so much master of his pas-sions, as the mustanger api>eared to be ? 

The mistress of Ca.sa del Corvo could not rest, till she had satisfied her- 
i self on this score. As soon ns Zeb Stump had taken his departure, she or- 
dered the s|HHted mare to bo saddled ; and, riding out alone, she sought the 
j crossing of the river ; and thence proceeded to the highway on the oj)jK>eite 
, side. 

) Advancing in the direction of the Fort, as she expected, she soon encoun- 
j tered the Mexican senora on her return ; no senora according to the exact 

1 signification of the tenu, but a senorita — a young lady, not older than her- 

I self. 

! At the place of their meeting, the road ran under the shadow of the trees. 

; There wa.s no sun to reriniro the coifing of tho reljozo upon the crown of 

j the Mexicc-in tKiuestrian. Tho scarf had fallen upon her shoulders, laying 
bare a head of hair, in luxuriance rivalling tho tail of a wild steed, in col- 
our tho plumage of a crow. It formed tho framing of a face, that, de- 
•pite of a certain darkness of complexion, was charmingly attractive. 

Good breeding pennitted only a glance at it in passing ; which was re- 
( turned by a like courte-y on tho jian of the stranger. But ns th* two rodo 
j on, back to back, going in opposite directions, neither could restrain herself 
! from turning round in tho saddle, and snatching a second glance at the 
j other. 

i Their reflections were not very dissimilar : if Louise Poindexter had al- 
j l^ady learnt sontething of the in lividual thus encountered, the latter wm 
j not altogether ignonint of her existence. 

We shall not attem t to j>ortray the thoughts of the senorita consequent 
' on that encounter. Sufflee it to say. that those of the Creole were oven 
i more s imbre than when she sallied forth on that errand of inspection ; and 

i ^ 

1 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAK. 


123 


that the young mistress of Casa del Corvo rode back to tho mansion, ail tho 
way seated in her saddle in an attitude that betokened tho deeiHJst de- 
jection. 

“ Beautiful 1” said she, after passing her supiwsed rival upon the road, 

" Yes ; too beautiful to be his friend!” 

Louise was siwaking to her own conscience ; or she might have been 
more chary of her praise. 

” I cannot have any doubt,” continued she, " of tho relationship that 
exists between them. He loves her! — ho loves her! It accounts for his 
cold indifference to me ? I’ve been mad to risk my heart’s happiness in 
such an illstarred entanglement I 

“ And now to disentangle it I Now to banish him from my thoughts I 

Ah I ’tis easily said 1 Can I ?” , , . a. , i 

" I shall see him no more. That, at least, is possible. After what has 

occurred, he will not come to our house. We can only meet by accident ; _ 
and that accident I must bo careful to avoid. Oh, Maurice Gerald ! tamer 
of wild steeds 1 you have subdued a spirit that may suffer long — perhai* 
never recover from tho lesson 1” 


CHAPTER XXVI. 
tTIlil) ON THti AZOTEA. 

To banish from the thoughts one who has bi^en passionately loved is a 
simple impossibility. Time may do much to subdue the pain of an unreci- 

E rocated pa-ssum, and absence more. But neither time, nor absence, can 
inder the continued recurrence of that longing for the lost loved one — or 
quiet the heart aching with that void that has never been satisfactorily 
filled. 

Louise Poindexter had imbibed a passion that could no*, be easily stifled. 
Though of brief existence, it had been of rapid growth —vigorously over- 
riding all obstacles to its indulgence.- It was already strong enough to 
overcome such ordinary scrup’os as p.arental consent, or the inequality of 
rank ; and, had it been reciprocated, neither would have stood in tho way, 
so far as she herself was concerned. For the former, shn was of age ; and 
felt — as most of her countrywomen do — capable of taking care of herself 
For the latter, who ever really loved that cared a straw’ for class, or caste 
Love has no such meanness in its composition. At all events, there was none 
such in the passion of Louise Poindexter. 

It could scarce be called the first illusion of her life. It was. however 
the first, where disappointment was likely to prove dangerous to the tran 
quillity of her spirit. 

She WM not unaware of this. She anticipated unhappiness for a while- • 
hoping that time would enable her to subdue the cxp<vte«l pain. 

At first, she fancied she would find a friend in her own strong will ; an.! 
another in the natural bnoyancy of her spirit. But as the davs passed, slio 
found reason to distrust both r for in spite of both, she could not erase from 
her th >ughtB the image of the man who had so completely captivated her 
imagination. 

There were times when she hated, him or tried to do so— when she could 




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124 


THK HEADLE8S IlORSEMAV. 


Iiftve killod him, or Been him killed, without makinfj an eflTort to save him 
They were but moments ; each succeeded by an interval of more righteoua 
reilection, when she felt that the fault was hers alone, as hers only the mis- 
fortune. 

No matter for this It mattered not if he had l)een her enemy — the 
enemy of all mankind. If Lucifer liimself— to whom in her wild fancy she 
had once likened him — she would have loved him all the samel 

And it would have proved nothing abnormal in her disposition — nothing 
to separate l»er from the rr;st of womankind, all the world over. In the 
mind of man, or woman either, there is no connection between the weraJ 
and the passional. Tliey are as different from each other as fire from water. 
They may chance to run in the same channel ; but they may go diametri' 
cally opjK)site. In other words, we may love the very being we hate — aye, 
the one we despise I 

Louise Poindexter could neither hate, nor despise, Maurice Gerald. She 
could only endeavour to feel indifference. 

It was a vain effort, and ended in failure. Slio could not restrain nerself 
from ascending to the azotea, and scrutinizing the road where she had first 
beheld tlie cause of her jealousy. Each day, and almost every hour of the 
day, was the ascent reiieated. 

Still more. Notwithstanding her resolve, to avoid the accident of an en- 
•ounter with the man who had made her miserable, she was oft in the 
saddle and abroad, scouring the country around — riding through the streets 
of the village — with no otlier object than to meet him. 

During the three days that followed that uni>leasant discovery, onco 
-again had she seen — from the housetoj) as before — the lady of the lazo en 
route up the road, as before accoinpanieil by lier attendant with the pannier 
across his arm — that Pandora’s Ihix that liad bred such mischief in her 
mind— while she herself stood trembling with jealousy— envious of the 
other’s errand. 

She knew more now, though not much. Only bad she learnt the name 
and social standing of her rival. The Dona Isidora Covarubio de los Llanos 
— tlaughter of a wealthy haciendado, who lived ui)on the Rio Grande, and 
niece to another whose estate lay upon the Leona, a mile Ijeyond tlie 
boundaries of Iut father’s new purchase. An eccentric young lady, as some 
thoutrht, who could throw a lazo, tame a wild steed, or anything elseexcept- 

injT her own cjiprices. , , . . , * a 

Such was the character of the Mexican senonta, as known to the Amen 

can settlers on the Leona. , . , • • r /-< i 

A knowW-e of it rtiti not romovo the jealous suspieions of the Creole. 

On the eontraW, it tended to eonlirm them. Such prwtt^ teere her ot™ 
pred Wtiou, "She had been created with an lu.ttuct tr admire them. She 
ruwS Tnt others meat do the same. Tho young Inahman waa not hke- 

'’■'Th^ w of eeeeral daya^^uring which the lady of tho laao 

’^CCrSS'vered from itia wounds); reflected tho Creole. "He no 

'"Xwrlrnrtr.To'SrLr.hfroS n,.king .lu. refl^tuon-lor*. 

“TwL^iSe’^momiig^sWl^ : the hour when the Mexican 


THE HEADLESS IIORSEMAIT. 12k | 

had been wont to make her appearance ^ laouise had been looking towardu 
the quarter whence tho senorita might have bet*n expected to come. 

On turning her eves in the opisisite direction, she beheld — that which 
caused her something more than surprise. She saw Maurice Gerald, 
mounted on horseback, and riding down tho nmd I 

Though seated somewhat stilllv in the saddle, and going at a shf 
it was certainly he. The glass declared his identity ; at tho same tifi 
closing the lart. that his left arm was susiamded in a sling. 1 

Gn recognizing him, she shrank behind the parapet — as she did 
ing utterance to a siqipressed cry. 

Whv that anguislwfl utterance Was it tho sight of tho disabled 
or the'pa'Ii'l : for the glass had enabled her to distinguish both, k. 
Neither one nor the other. Neither could be a cause of surprise, llesi.. 
it was an exclamation far differently intoned to those of either pityTir 
nstoni.-ihment. It was an expression of sorrow, that had for its origin some; 

heartfelt chagrin. . j , i • f 

Tho invalid was convalescent. He no longer needed to bo visited by hn 

nurse. lie was on the xvay to visit her ! r \. 

Cowering behind the ])arai)et— screened by the flower-spike of the yarr 

Louise Poindexter watclicil the passing horseman. The lorgnette enablcc. 

her to note everv movement made by him — almost to tho play of his featuns ' 
She felt some' slight gratification on observing that he turned his face at 
intervals and fixed his regard upon Casa del Corvo. It was increased, wher 
on reaching a copst , that stood by tho side of the road, and nearly opposib 
the house, ho reined up behind the trees, and for a long time remainetl in 
the same soot, as if reconnoitering the mansion. 

She almost conceived a hope, that he might be thinking of its mistress 
It was but a gleam of joy, departing like the sunlight under the certaii 
•hadc'w of an eclipse. It was succoeii ?d by a sadness that might be apprf< 
priatcly comparc<l to such shadow : lor to her the world at that momcn 

seemed filled with gloom. „ , , , ..t v i a -u ■ 

Maurice Gerald had ridden on. He had entered the chapparal ; and be 

come lost to view with the road upon which ho was riding. : 

Whither was he bound ? Whither but to visit Dona Isadora Covarubi-, 

de Los Llanos ? , , nrL _ - i r 

It mattered not that he returned within less than an hour. They migld 
have met in the woods — within eyeshot of that jealous spectator but foj 
the screening of the trt'es. An hour was sufficient interview— for lovert^ 
who could every day claim unrestricted indulgence. . , * , 

It mattered not, that in passing upwards he again cast regards towan. 
Casa del Corx'o ; again halted behind the copse, and passed some time ^ 

apparent scrutinv of the mansion. ^ i » v 

It was but m' ckery — or exultation. Ho might well fwl triuinpliant ; bu 
why should he be cruel, with kisses upon lus lips— the kisses he bad receive , 
from the Dona Isidora Covarubio de Los Llanos ? 






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126 


THK HEADLESS TIOUSKMAir. 


CHAPTER XXVII. 

I LOVE YOU I— I LOVE TOtT? 

I 

PoTNDEXTF.n npon the nzotoa ag^ain— ap:nln to bo eubjectod to a 
la^nn ! That broad etonc stairway trending up to the housetop, seem- 
^•ad only to spectacles that gave her pain. She liad mentally vowed no 
,o ascend it — at least for a long time. Something stronger than her 
i will combatted — and successfully — the keeping of that vow. It 
Token ere the sun of another day had dried the dew from the grass of 
rairio. 

'on the day before, she stood by the parapet scanning the road on the 
_-osite side of the river; ns before, she saw the horseman with the slung 
•inn ride past ; as before, she crouched to screen herself from observation. 

' II f was going downwards, as on the day preceding. In like manner did 
he cast long glances towards the hacienda, and made halt behind the clump 
jf trees that grew opposite. 

Her heart fluttered between hope and fear. There was an instant when 
-he felt half inclined to show herself. Fear prevailed; and in the next 
n<tant he was gone. 

Whither? 

The self-asked interrogatory was but the same as of yesterday. It mot 
vith a similar response. 

Whither, if not to meet Dona Isidora Covarubio de los Llanos? 

, Could there bo a doubt of it? 

If so, it was soon to bo determined. In h'ss than twenty minutes after, a 
anled steed was seen upon the same road — and the same direction — with 
I lady upon its back. 

I The jealous heart of tlie Creole could hold out no longer. No truth could 
auso greater torture than she was already suffering through suspicion, 
ilie had re.solveil on as-curing hcrsolf, ihough the knowledge should prove 
•ital to iho last faint remnant of tier hopes. 

I She entffred the chapparal where the mustangor had ridden in scarce 
!wenty minutes before. She nxle on beneath the flitting shadows of the 
•cacias. She rode in silence upon the soft turf — keeping close to the side 
f the p.at!i. so that the hoof might not strike against stones. The long 

I ' lun ite Iron l.s, drooping down to the level of her eyes, mingled with the 
lu nes in her hat. She sate her saddle crouch ingly, as if to avoid l»eing 
bs^rved — all the while with earnest glance scanning the open space before 
■•r. 

^She reached the crest of a hill which commanded a view beyond. There 
fU.s a house in sight surrounded by tall trees. It might have been termed 
I mansion.^ It was the residence of Don Silvio Martinez, tho imcle of Dona 
■jidora. S ) much had she learnt already. 

There were other houses to be seen ujwn the plain below ; but on this 
no, and tho road leading to it, the eyes of the Creole became fixed in a 
lance of uneasy interrogation. 

For a time she continued her scrutiny without satisfaction. No one 
ppeared either at the house, or near it. The private road leading to the 
<sideoce of tho haciendade, and the public highway, were alike without 


TUB HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


living forms. Some horses were straymg over tho pastures ; but noti 
with a rider upon his back. ^ 

Could the lady have ridden out to meet him, or Maurice gone in ? s. 

Were they at that moment in the woods, or within tho walls of tho hous> 

If the former, was Don Silvio aware of it? If tho latter, was ho at horaeX^ 
an approving party to the assignation ? 

With such questions was tho Creole afflicting herself, when tho neigh of 
a horse broke ai)ruptly on her ear, followed by the chinking of a shod hoof 
against the stones of tho causeway. 

She looked Ijelow ; for she had halted upon tho cn^st of a steep acclivity. 
The mustanger was ascending it — riding directly towards her. She might 
have seen him sooner, hatl she not been occupied with tho more distant 
view. 

He w'as alone, as ho had ridden past Casa del Corvo. There was nothing 
to show that he had recently been in comi)any — much loss in the company 
of an inamorata. 

It was too late for Ijouise to shun him. The spotted mustang had rejdicd 
to the salutation of an old acquaintance. Its rider was constrained to keep 
her ground, till the nuistanger came up. 

" (iood day. Miss Poindexter?” said he — for ujwn the prairies it is 
etiquette for tho lady to speak first. ‘‘Alone ?” 

‘‘Alone, sir. And why not?” 

‘‘ ’Tis a solitary ride among tho chapparals. But true : I think I’ve heard 
you say you prefer that sort of thing 

“ You appear to like it yourself, Mr. Oenald. To you, however, it is not 
BO solitary, I presume?” 

‘‘ In faith I do like it; and just for that very reason. I have the misfor- 
tune to live at a tavern, or ‘ hotel,’ as mine host is jdeased to cnlT it ; and 
one gets so tired of tho »oises — especailly an invalid, as I have the bad luck 
to bo — that a ride along this quiet road-ia something akin to luxury. Tho 
cool shade of these acacias — which the Mexicans hnve vulgarized by the 
name of mezquites — with the breeze thak keeqw constantly circulating 
through their fan-like foliage, would invigorate the feeblest of frame.s. 
Don’t you think so. Miss Poiiulexter ?” 

" You slnnild know best, sir,” was the reply vouchsafed, after some 
seconds of embarrassment. “ You, who have so i)fte!i tried it.” 

‘‘ Often ! I have bi*en only twice down this road since I have l)een able to 
sit in my saddle. But. Miss Poindexter, may I ask how you knew that I 
have been this way at all ? ” 

•‘Oh I” rejoined Louise, her colour going and coming as she spoke, “how 
could I help knowing it? I am in the habit of sjxmding much time on tho 
housetop. The view, the breeze, tho music of the birds, asci-nding from the 
garden below, makes it a delightful spot — esp«!cially in the cool of the 
morning. Our rwf commands a view of this road. Being up there, how 
could I avoid stieing you as you passed — that is, so long as you were not 
under the thade of the aeaciat 

“You saw me, then?’’ said Maurice, with an embarrassed air, which was 
not caused by tho innuendo conveyed in her last words — which ho could 
not have comprehended — but by a remembrance of how ho had himself 
behaved while riding along the reach of oj^n road. 




*** 


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THE HEADLESS HORSEMAIC. 


illow could I help it ?” was tho ready reply. “ The distance is scarce 
j hundred yards. Even a lady, mounted ujK)n n steed much smaller than 
urs, was sudicicntly conspicuous to bo identified. When I saw her dis- 
lay her womlerful skill, by strangling a p<Kjr little antelope with her lazo, 
>*knew it could be no otlier than she whose accomplishments you were so 
"'gootl us to give me an account of.” 

“Isidora?” 

“ Isidora !” 

“ Ah ; true! She has been here for some time.” 

“ And has been very kind to Mr. Maurice Gerald ?” 

" Indeed, it is true. She has been very kind ; though I have had no 
chance of tlianking her. With all her friendship for poor me, she is a great 
; Imter of us ftireign invaders ; and would not condescend to step over the 
I threshold of Mr. Oberdoffer’s hotel.” 

“ Indeed I I suppose she preferred meeting you under the iihad» of the 
acaciag t" 

“ I have not met her at all ; at least, not for many months ; and may not 
for months to come — now that she lias gone back to her home on the Rio 
Graude.” 

“ Are you speaking tho truth, sir ? You have not seen her since she is 

gone away from the house of her uncle V” 

“ She has,” replied Maurice, exhibiting surprise. “ Of course, I have 
• not seen her. I only knew she was here by her sending me some delicacies 
while I was ill. In truth, I stood in need of them. Tlie hotel cuisine is 
none of the nicest ; nor was I tho most welcome of Mr. Oberdoffer’s guests. 
The Dona Isidora has been but too grateful for the slight service 1 once did 
her.” 

“ A service ! May I ask what it was, Mr. Gerald ?” 

*' Oh, certainly. It was merely a chance. I had the opportunity of being 
useful to the young lady, in once rescuin'' her from some rude Indians — 

I Wild Cat and his Seminoles — into whose hands she had fallen, while mak- 
j Ing a journey from tho Rio Grande to visit her uncle on the Leona — Don 
' Silvio Martinez, whoso house you can see from here. Tlie brutes had got 
: drunk, and were threatening — not exactly her life — though that was in 

i some danger, but^ well, tho poor girl was in trouble with them, and 

might have had some difficulty in getting away, had I not chanced to ride 

j ” 

t “A slight service, you call it? You are modest in your estimate, Mr. 

i Gerald. A man who should do that much for me ” 

“ What would you do for him *” asked tho mustanger, placing a sigmff 
cent emphasis on tho final word. 

“ I should love him,” was the prompt reply. 

“ Then,” said Maurice, spurring his liorse close up to the side of the spot, 
ted mustang, and whispering into the ear of its rider, with an earnestness 
strangely contrasting to Ids late reticence, “ I would give half my life to 
see you in the hands of Wild Cat and his drunken comrades— the othel 
^half to deliver you from the danger.” 

. “ Do you mean this, Maurice Gerald ? Do not trifle with me : I am not a 

, child. Speak the truth I Do you mean it ?” 

" I do! As heaven is above me, I do I” 

I 

1 

I 

y 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


129 


The sweetest kiss I ever had in my life, was when a woman— a fail 
creature, in the hunting field — leant over in her saddle and kissed me as I 
sate in mina 

The fondest embrace ever receivefl by Maurice Gerald, was that given by 
Louise Poindexter ; when, standing up in her stirrup, and laying her hand 
upon his shoulder, she cried in an agony of earnest jwission — 

" Do with me as thou wilt : 1 love you — I love you /” 


CHAPTER XXVm. 

I 

A PLEASUKE FOKBIDDEN. 

Ever since Texas Ijccame the scene of an Anglo-Saxon immigration— I 
might go a century farther back and s.ay, from tho time of its colonization 
bylhc descendants of the Conquistadores — ihc subjects of primary imiw- 
tance has been the disposition of its aborigines. 

Whether these, the lawful lords of the soil, chanced to be in a state of 
open war — or whether, by some treaty with tho settlers, they were consent- 
ing to a temporary peace — made but slight difference, so far as they were 
talked about. In either case they w'ere a topic of daily discourse. In the 
former, it related to the dangers to be hourly apprehended from them ; in 
the latter, to tho probable duration of such treaty as might for the moment 
be binding them to hold their tomahawks entombed. 

In Mexican times these question formed the staple of conversation, at ifcMy- 
uno, alinucrzo, comida, y cena ; in American times, up to this present hour, they 
have been the themes of discussion at the breakfast, dinner, and supper 
tables. In tho planter’s jiiazza, as in the hunter’s camp, boar, deer, cougar, 
and peccary, aro not named witli half tho frequency, or half tho fear inspir- 
ing emphasis allotted to tho word “ Indian.” It is this that scares the Tex- 
an child instead of the stereotyped nursery ghost, keeping it awake upon its 
inos --stuffed mattress — disturbing almost as much the repose of its parent. 

Desp'te tho surrounding of strong walls — more resembling those of a fort- 
res? than a gentleman’s dwidling — the inmates of Cas del Corvo were not 
excjpted froTn this feeling of apprehension, universal along tlxo frontier. 
As yet they knew little of the Indians, and that little only from report ; but, 
d.iy by day, they were becoming better acquainted with tho character of 
this natural “terror ” that interfered with tho slumbers of their fellow set- 
tlers. 

That it was no mere “bogie” they had begun to believe ; but if any of 
them remained increclulous, a note received from tho major commanding 
the Fort — about two weeks after the horse-hunting expedition — was calcu- 
lated to cure them of their incredulity. 

It came in the early morning, carried by a mounted rifleman. It was put 
into tho bands of tho planter just as he was about sitting down to the break- 
fast-table, around which were assembled the three individuals who compos- 
ed his household — his daughter Louise, his son Henry, and his nephew Can- 
siuB Calhoun. 

“ Startling news !” he exclaimed, after hastily reading the note. " Not 






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1.30 


TIIK HEADLRR8 HORSEMAN. 


very i)lea?ant if true ; and I suppose there can bo no doubt of that, since fh« 
major .'i]»{M‘ara convinced.” 

” Unpleasant news, |>a])a? ’ asked his daughter, a sjwtof re<l springing to 
lier cheek as she p)ut the question. 

Tlie sj)ok(‘» interrogatory was continued l)y others, not uttere<l aloud. 

“ Wluit can the major liavo writt«m to himl’ I met liim yestemay while 
riding in the cliapparal. He saw me in coraj)any witli — —Can it be that? 
Mon J>ifu 1 if father sliould hear it ” 

” ‘ Tiie f'omanclu-8 on the war trail ’ — so writes the major.” 

“ Oh, that’s all !” said Louise, involuntarily given voice to the phrase, ns if 
the news had nothing so very fearful in it. “ You frightened us, sir. I 
thought it was something worse.” 

Worse! What trifling, child, to talk so! There is nothing worse, in 
Texas, than Comanches on the war trail — nothing half so dangerous.” 

Louise might have thought there was — a danger at least as diflicult to bo 
avoided. Perhaps she was reflecting uiwn a pursuit of wild steods — or 
thinking of tlu; trail of a lazo. 

She made no rejdy. Calhoun continued the conversation. 

“ Is the major sure of the Indians b(;ing up ? What does ho say, uncle ?” 

” That there has Ix-en rumours of it for some days past, though not relia- 
ble. Now it is certain. Last night Wild Cat, the Seminole chief, came to 
the Fort with a party of his tribe ; bringing the news that the painted jiole 
has l)een erected in the camps of the Comanches all over Texc's, and that 
tho war dance has been going on for more than a month. That several 
parties are already out upon the maraud, and may bo looked for among tho 
settlements at any moment.” 

" And Wild Cat himself — what of him ?” asked Ijouisa, an unpleasant re- 
miniscence suggesting the inquiry. " Is that renegade Indian to be trusted 
who ap()ear8 to bo as much on enemy to the whites as to tho people of his 
own race V” 

” (.Juito true, my daughter. You have described tho chief of the Seminoles 
almost in tho same terms as I find him spoken of, in a postscript to tho 
major’s letter. Ho counsels us to beware of tho two-faced old rascal, who 
will be sure to take sides with the Comanches, whenever it may suit his 
convenience to do so.” 

Well,” continued tho planter, laying aside the note, and betaking him- 
self to his cotfee and waflles, “ I trust we sha’n’t see any redskins here — ■ 
either Seminoles, or Comanches. In making their marauds, let us hope 
they will not like the look of tho crcnelled parapets of Casa del Corvo, but 
give the hacienda a wide berth.” 

Refore any one could respond, a sable face appearing at tho door of the 
oining room — which was the apartment in which breakfast was being eaten 
— caused a comjdeto change in the character of tho conversation. 

The countenance bidonged to Pluto, the coachman. 

” What do you want, Piute'.” inquired the owner. 

‘ IIo, ho! Maser dis chile want nufiin ’t all. Only look n it’ 

tell Mis'^a I^ooey dat soon’s she done eat her brekfass de spotty am unner do 
sad<lle, all ready for chuck de bit into him mouf. Ho 1 no I dat critter do 
dance ’bout on de pavestono as ef it wa’ mad to ’treak it back to de smoore 
tuff ob de prairie.” 


% 


■0 




THE HEADLESS HORS'EMAN. 


131 


” Ooing out for a ride, Ijouise ?” asked the jdanter, with a shadow npon 
his brow, which ho made but little effort to conceal. 

“ Yes, papa ; I was thinking of it.” 

” You must not.” 

“Indeed!” 

" I mean that you must not ride out alone. It is not proper.” 

“ Why <lo you think so, papa? I have often ridden out alone.” 

“ Yes ; jK-rhaps too often.” 

Tho last remark brought tho slightest lingo of colour to the rlunks oi 
the young Creole; though she seemed uncertain what construction she was 
to ])ut upon it. 

Notwithstanding its ambiguity, she did not pre-s for an explanation. On 
the contrary, she preferred shunning it ; as was shown by her reply. 

“ If you think so, jiapa, I shall not go out again. Tht)Ugh to be c(K»jw'd 
up here, in this dismal dwelling, while you gintlemen are all abroad uj»on 
business — is that the life you intend me to lead in Texas?” 

“ Nothing of the sort, my daughter. I have no objection to your ri<ling 
out as much ns you plea.^e ; but Henry must be with you, or your cousin 
Cassius. I only lay an embargo on your going alone. I have my reasons.” 

“ Reasons 1 What are they ?” — 

Tho question canu; involuntarily to her lips. It had scarce jmssed them, 
ore she regretted having asked it. By her uneasy air it was evident she 
had apprehen.sions ns to the answer. 

The reply apixiared partially to relieve her. 

“What other reasons do you want,” said the planter, evidently endeav- 
ouring to escajte from tho suspicion of dujdicity by the statement of a con- 
venient fact — “ what better, than the contents of this h-tter from the major’/ 
Rememlx'r, my child, you arc not in Loui.siana, wlu'n- a lady may travi l 
anywhere without fiair of cither insult or outrage ; but in Texas, w here she 
may dread both — where even her life may be in danger. Here there are 
Indians.” 

“ My excursions don’t extend so far from tho house, that I need have any 
fear of Indians. I never go more than five miles at tlie most.” 

“Five miles!” exclaimed the ex-otficer of volunteers, with a sardonic 
smile ; “ you would be ns safe at fifty, cousin I^oo. You are just ns likely to 
encounter the redskins within a hundred yanis of the door, as at the dis- 
tance of a hundred miles! When they are on tho war trail ihe^’ may bo 
looked for anywiiere, and at any time. In my opinion, uncle \N oodley is 
right : you are very foolish to ride out alone.” 

“ Oh ! t/on say so?” sliarply retorted the young Creole, turning disdainful- 
Iv towanls her cousin. “And pray, sir, may 1 ask of what service your 
comjtany would l)e to me in the event of my encountering the Comanches, 
^vhich I don’t believe there’s the slightest danger of my doing. A juetty 
figure we’d cut — the pair of us — in the midst of a war party of painttxl sav- 
ages! Ha ! ha! The danger would be yours, not mine ; since I shouhl cer- 
tainly ride away, and leave you to your own devices. Danger, indeed, 
within five miles of the house ! If there’s a horseman in Texas — savages 
not excepted — who can catch up with my little Luna in a five-mile stndch, 
he must ride a swift steed ; which is more than you do, Mr. Cash !” 

“ Silence, daughter !” commanded Poindexter. " Don’t let me h‘'ar you 


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133 


THE HEADLESS HOUSEMAN. 


11 n.ot ftViMird strain Take no notice of it, ncpliew. Even if thew 
I In-'i-ns there are other outlaws in these parts quite 

Tmuch tTsWred E.,ough tl,.t I to„„d rou rid. abroad. 

'tu nn nir of rcsiffnatioii preparing to leave tlie room. Of 
Tilu oC )ou-at ihe risk of losing my health for want of CTen 
course I shall ol^y ) addressing herself to the darkey who still 

CISC. Go, ' . doorway “turn Luna loose into the corral— ihe pas- 

stood grinning m tne o prairies, if the creature 

W inclined ^^7ladf of the Mia, leaving the three 

satire intended to be she gave utterance in that same senes. 

They were not leading to her own chamber, others, low 

As she glided along the c^^idor p q’ijey were in the shape 

murmured, mechanically Jj gelf-askef, and only to be answered by 

of interrogatories — a stnng ot tuem 

conjecture. ? Is u but his suspicions? Can any one 

, “ What can papa have Wd ? is »t nm f 

1 have told him ? Does ho know th at wo h ave met I 


I CHAPTER XXIX. 

' BIjCOYOTEATnOME. 

' .,1 u-- from the breakfast-table almost as abruptly »• 

i of r..»n.i.g b»hi.o.uch.m. 

'*§.1;? .'Sn!;’SoVru,;lu irSu h^M, l,. ™ neverthm^ BbfMobt. 

i ly cSnvakscLnr to go abroad-into the garden, to the stables, the corrals- 

^°Ou ihlTp^rSent occasion, his excursion was intended to conduct 
more distint tioint. As if under the stimulus of what had 
conversatiou-or perhaps by the contents of the 

his feebleness seemed for the time to have ^ 

nlvinir his crutch, he proceeded up the river in the dilution , 

^Tn i barren tract oMand, that lay alsmt half way '^^tween 
! and the Fort-and that did not api^ar to Wlong to 

j the terminus of his limping exp^ition. ^ rude* hovel of 

some larger trees shading it ; and in the midst of th>B a ^^o hovel 
“ wattle and dab ” known in South-Western Texas ns a jmoU. 

I It ias the domicile of Miguel Diaz, the Mexican dm dilunctwl am 
propriate to the somi-savnee who had earned for himself the disUnctive ap- 

; pellation of El Co;,ote (“ Prairie Wolf”)- , den-for his JaeaU 

It was not always that the wolf could lie foun I n„i oi,.pr>inirDlace‘ 
i dcSorved no bo.t/r d»«ri,.lio.,. , It tv., but 

! durinz thoso intervals of in^tiyity %vlien, by tho I 

\ tun'd mustanzs, he coul 1 afford to stay for a t ..-o-imitv afforded. 

I set lement, indulging in such gross plensun s as its proxim . 


) 

THE HEADLESS HOUSEMAN. 


153 


Calhoun was fortunate in finding him at homo ; though not quite so { 

fortunate as to find him in a state of sobriety. He was not exactly inUixi | 

cated — having, after a prolonged spidl of sleep, partially recovered from 1 
this, the habitual condition of his existence. ! 

“ M'la nor !’’ he exclaimed in his provincial patois, slurring tho salutation t 
as his visitor darkened the door of the jaale. “ P'r Dio* ! Who’d havo ex- i 

pected to see you ? Sirntese ! Be seated. Take a chair. There’s one. A 1 

chair! Ha I ha Ilia!” ! 

The laugli was called np at contemplation of that which ho had facetious* { 
ly ternii-d a chair. It was tlie skull of a mustang, intended to serve as | 
such ; and which, with another similar piece, a rude table of cleft yucca- l 
tree, and a csucli of cane rei-ds, upon which tlu' own^r of the jaeal* was ro> ' 
chniug, cimstituti-d the sole furniture of Miguel Diaz’s dwelling. j 

Calhoun, fatigued with his halting promenade, accepted the invitation of 1 
his host, and sate down upon the horse-skull. f 

He did not i>ermit much time to pass, before entering uixin the object of i 
his errand. 

“ Senor Diaz I” said he, " I have come for ” 

" S’nor Americano 1” exclaimed the half-drunken horse hunter, cutting , 
short the explanation, “ why waste words upon that ? Carrambo. I know 
well enough for what you’ve come. You want mo to wipt out that devilish 
Irlandcs." 

“ Well 1” 

“ Well : I promised you I would do it, for five hundred peso* — at the 
proper time and opjiortunity. I will. Miguel Diaz never played false to ( 
Lis promise. But the time’s not como, mr capitan ; nor yet the opportunity ; ' 

Carajo! To kill a man outright requires skill. It can’t be done— even on 
tlie prairies — without danger of detection ; and if detected, ha I what j 
chance for me? You forget, nor capitan, that I’m a Mexican. If I were of | 
your people, I might slay Don Mauricio ; and get clear on the score of its 1 

being a quarrel. Maldito ! With us Mexicans it is different. If we stick { 

our machete into a man so as to let out his life’s blood, it is called murder ! 
and you Americanos, with your stupid juries of twelve honeit men, would 
pronounce it so ; aye, and hang a poor fellow for it. Chingaro. I can’t risk 
that. I hate the Irlandes as much as you : but I’m not going to chop off 
my no.so to spite ray own face. I must wait for the time, and the chance — 
carrai, tlio time and the chance.” 

Both are come 1” exclaimed the tempter, bending earnestly towards the 
bravo. " You said you could easily do it, if there waa any Indian trouble 
going on ?” 

" Of course I said so. If there was that ” 

" You have not heard the news, then ?” 

“ What news ?” 

“ That the Comanches are starting on the war trail.” 

" Carajo.” exclaimed El Coyote, springing up from his couch of reedi, 
and exhibiting all the activity of his namesake, when rouseil by the scent 
of prey. “ Santisnma Virgen. Do you speak tlie truth, nor capitan f” 

“ Neitlier more nor less. Tlie news has just reached the Fort. I have it 
on tho best nutliority — tlio officer in command.” 

“ In tliat case,” answered tlio Mexican, r. Hectingly — “in tliat case, Dun 
Mauricio may die. The Comanche cun kill liim. Ha I ha 1 La i" 



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134 


TKK IlEADLICSS IlOKSEMAK. 


“ You are Bure of that ?” 

“ I should bo surer, if his scalp were worth a thousand dollars. insUad ol 
fiw hundred.” ' 

“ It ts worth that sum.” 

'■ Whul sum ?” 

“ A thousand dollars.” 

“ You promise it V” 

'• I do.” 

1 hen tho Comanchcs thnli Pcalp him, nor capxtan. You may return te 
C asa <lel Corvo, and f'o to sleep with confidence that, whenever the oi)por- 
tunity arrivis, you enemy will lose his hair. You understand me?” 

“ 1 do.” 

“ (Jet n-ady your thousand p«o.” 

“ They await your acceptance,” 

” Carojo. 1 sliall earn them in a trice. Adios ! adios I” 

Santimma I D'fffn ’ exclaimed the profane ruffian, as his visitor limped 
out of sight. •‘What a magnificent fluke of fortune ! A perfect chiripe, 
A thousand dollars for killing the man I intended to kill on my own ao 
conn , without charging anybcKly a single claco for the deed I 

The ( omanches ujion the war trail I Chi/tgaro ; can it be true? If so, 
I must look up my old disguises — gone to neglect through these three long 
years of accurse<l jx-ace. Viva la guerra dt lot Jndiot, Success to the pento- 
mimo of the proirioa 1 


CHAPTER XXX. 

A 8AOITTARY COKUESI*ONDENCB. 

Louise PoijfUEXTEn, passionately addicted to the sports termed * manly/ 
could scarce have overlooked archery. 

. She had not. The bow, and its adjunct the arrow, were in her hands as 
/ toys which she could control to her will. 

She had been instructed in their manege hy the Houma Indians; a rem 
nant of whom — the last descendants of a once iiowerful tribe — may stil! bo 
encountered ujMin the ” coast ” of the Mississipin, in the proximity of Point 
Coupe and the bayou Atchafalaya. 

For a long time her bow had lain unlient — unpacked, indeed, ever since 
it had formed part of the parajdiernalia brought overiand in tho waggon 
train. Since her arrival at Casa del Cor^'o she had found no occasion to use 
tho weajKm of Diana; and her beautiful l)ow of Osage orange wood, and 
quiver of plumed arrows, had lain neglected in the lumber-room. 

Tlu-re camo a time when they wore taken forth, and honoured with Bomo 
attention. It was shortly after that scene at the break last-table ; when she 
had received the paternal command to discontinue her cfiuestrian excur- 
sions. 

To this she had yiekhnl im|)licit obellience, even beyond wliat was intend- 
e>l : since not only had she given up riding out alone, but declined to do m 
in company. 

The spotted mustang stood listless in its stall, or pranced frantioally 


THE IIEADI.F.SS tIORSEMAN. 


1 0 


RTound the corral ; wondering why its spine was no longer crossed, or its 
ribs coini>res8ed, by that strange caparison, that more than aught else re- 
minded it of its captivity. 

It Win not nf»gl<*cted, however. Though no more mounted by its fait 
mistress, it was the object of hi-r daily — almost hourly — solicitude. Tho 
best corn in the granaderiat of Casa del Corvo was selected — the gramma — 
furnished for its manger ; while for drink it had the cool crystal water 
from the curnuit of the Leona. 

Pluto took delight in grooming it ; and, under his currycomb and brush- 
es, its coat ha<l attained a gloss which rivalled that upon Pluto’s own sable 
skin. 

While not engaged attending upon her pet. Miss Poindexter divided tho 
residue of her time between indoor duties and archery. Tho latter she ap 
j>:!ared to have selecte<l as the sul stitule for that pastime of which she was 
so passionately fond, and in which she was now denied indulgence. 

The Bceno of her sagittary jH^rforinances was the ganlen, with its adjacent 
shrubbery — an extensiv’c enclosum, three sides of which were fenced in by 
the river itself, curving nmnd it like the shoe of a racehorHe, the fourth 
being a straight line traced by tho rearward wall of tho hacientla. 

^V'ithiu this circumference a garden, avifh ornamental grounds, had liecn 
laid out, in times long gono by — as might have bten told by many ancient 
exotics seen standing over it. Even the statues sjHike of a past agt> — not 
only in their decay, but in tho personages they were intended to represent. 
E(iually did they betray tho chisel of tho Spanish sculptor. Among them 
you might see commemorated tho figure and features of the great Condo; 
of the Camf>eador ; of Ferdinand and his energetic <iueen ; of the discoverer 
of the Ami'ricun world ; of its two chief eonquitladoret — Cortez and Pizarro ; 
and of her, alike famous for her beauty and devotion, the Mexican Ma- 
linche. 

It was not amidst these sculptured stones that Louise Poindexter prac- 
tised her feats of archery ; though more than once might she have bet'n 
seen standing before tho statue of Malinche, and scanning tho voluptuous 
outline of the Indian maiden’s form ; not with any severe thought of scorn, 
that this dark-skinned daughter of Eve had succumbed to such a conqueror 
as Cortez. 

The young Creole felt, in her secret heart, that she had no right to throat 
a stone at that statue. To one less famed than Cortez — though in her es 
tiraation equally deserving of fame — she had surrendered what the great 
conquistador had won from Marina — her heart of hearts. 

In her excursions with the bow which were of diurnal occurrence, ' ho 
strayed not among the statues. Her game was not there to be found ; but 
under th'* shadow of tall trees that, keeping tho curve of tho river, formed 
a semicircular grove between it and the garden. Most of these trws were 
of indigenous gr )wth— wild Chinas, mulberries, and pecans — that in tho 
laying out of the grounds had been permitted to remain where Nature, 
p^^haps some omturies ago, had scattered their seed. 

It was under the leafy canopy of these fair forest trees the youngCre* • • 
delighted to sit — or stray along tho edge of tho pellucid river, that rolh'-l 
dreamily by. 

Hero she was free to be alone ; which of late appenrtxl to lie her prof t 
cnc3. Her father, in his sternest mood, could not hav’c d 'uiifl fierr . • : 
\ privilege. If there was danger upon tho outside prairie, there c^ub’ lx* 




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13G 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN'. 


I 

; none within the garden — enclosed, ns it was, bj* a river broad and deep, and 
I a wall that could not have been scaled without tlie aid of a thirty-round lad* 
, der. So far from objc*ctlng to this solitary strolling, tho planter appeared 
1 something more than satisfied that his daughter had taken to these tranquil 
i habits ; and tho suspicions which ho luul conceived — not altogether without 
; a cause — were becoming gradually dismissed from his mind, 
i Alter all, ho might have been misinformed V The tongue of scandal takes 

i delight in torturing; and he may have been chosen as one of its victims? 

I Or, iHjrhaps, it was but a casual thing — tlie encounter, of which he had been 
told, between his daughter and Maurice the mustanger? They may have 
j met by accident in the chapparal V Slie could not well i)a8s, without speak- 
ing to tho man who had twice rescued her from a dread danger. There 

i might have been nothing in it, beyond the simple acknowledgment of her 
gratitude ? 

It looked well that she had, with such willingness, consented to relin- 
! quish her rides. It was but little in keeping with her usual custiiir., when 

\ crossed. Obedience to that i)artieuliir command could not have been irk- 

some ; and argued innocence uncontaminated, virtue still intact. 

So reasoned the fond fatln;r ; who, beyond conjecture, was not ])ermitted 
I to scrutinize too closely the character of his child. In other lands, or in a 

. different class of swiety, be might j>ossibly have asked direct (juestions, and 

^ required direct answers to them. Tliis is not the method ui)on the Missis- 

; gipju ; where a son of ten years old — a daughter of less than fifteen — would 

rebel against such scrutiny, and call it inquisition. 

Still less might Woodley Poindexter strain tho statutes of parental 
I authority — the father of a Creole belle — for years used to that proud hora- 

I age whose incenso often stills, or altogether destroys, the simpler affections 

' of the heart. 

Though her father, and by law her controller, he knew to what a short 
j length his power might extend, if exerted in opposition to her will, 
j He was, therefore, satisfied with her late act of obedience — rejoiced to find 
that instead of continuing her reckless rides uiK)n the prairie, she now con- 
tented herself within the ’■ange of the garden — with bow and arrow slaying 
tho small birds that were so unlucky as to come under her aim. 

Father of fifty years old, why reason in this foolish fashion ? Have you for- 
gotten your own youth — tho thoughts that then inspired you — the deceits 
you practised under such inspiration — the coimterfeits you assumed — the 
• stories ” you told to cloak what, after all, may have been tho noblest im- 
f pulse of your nature ? 

j Tho father of the fair Ivouise appeared to have become oblivious to recol- 
t li*ctions of this kind : for his early life wns not without facta to have fumish- 
; e<l them. They must have been forgotten, else he would have taken occa- 
sion to follow his daughter into the garden, and observe her — himself unob- 
, served — while disporting herself in the shrubbery that bordered the river 
' bank. 

i By doincr so, he would have discovered that her disposition was not so 
' cruel as may have been supposed. Instead of transfixing the innocent birds 
that fluttered in such foolisli confidence around her, her greatest feat in 
archery appeared to be : the impaling a ]Meco of paper upon the point of her 
' arrow, anti sending the shaft thus ehargerl across the river, to fall harmless" 

* ly into a thicket on the o])p^>site siibv 

, lie would have witnessed an exbiltition still more singular. He would 




THE HEADLESS HORSEMAIT. 



137 


have seen the arrow’ thus sp<‘nt — after a short interval, as if dissatisfie<l 
with the place into w Inch it had Ina-n shot, and desirous of returning to tho 
fair hand whence it had taken its departure — come back into the garden 
with the same, or a siinil.ar pit!Ce of pajKjr, transfixed ui)on its shaft ! 

The thing might have appeared mysterious— even supernatural — to an 
. observer unacquainted with the spirit and mechanism of that abnormal 
phenomenon. There was no olwerver of it save the two individuals who al- 
ternately bent the Low, sh(x»ting with a single arrow ; and by them it was 
understood. 

“ Lf)ve laugh at bxiksmiths.” Tho old adage is scarce suited to Tcxasi 
where lockmaking is an unknown trade. 

“Where there’s a will, there’s a way,” expressed pretty much the same 
sentiment, approj)riato to all times and every place. Never wns it more 
correctly illustrated than in that exchange of bow-shots across the channel 
of the Leona. 

Louise Poindexter had the will ; Maurice Gerald had suggested the way. 


CHAPTER XXXI. 

A STREAM CI.EVEULT CROSSED. 

Tim sagittary correspondence could not last for long. They are but luke- 
warm lovers who can content themselves Avith a dialogue carried on at l)ow- 
shot distances. Hearts’ brimful of passion must beat and bum together — 
in close proximity — each feeling the pulsation of tho other. “ If there be 
an Elysium on earth, it is this 1” 

Maurice Gerald was not the man — nor Louise Poindexter the woman — 
to shun such a consummation. 

It came to pass: not under tho tell-tale light of the sun, but in the lone 
hour of midnight, when but the stars could have been witnesses of their ( 
social dereliction. 

Twice had they stood together in that garden grove — twice had they ex- 
changed love vows — under the steel grey light of the stars ; and a third 
interview had lx?en arranged lietween them. 

Little suspected the ]iroud planter — iierhups jtrouder of his daughter than 
anything else ho possessed — that she was daily engagetl in an act of re- 
bellion — tho wildest against which parental authority may pronounce itself. 

His own daughter — his only daughter — of the l)est bhjod of fvmthem 
aristocracy ; beautiful, accomplished, everything to secure him a splendid 
alliance — holding nightly assignation Avith a horse-hunter I 

Could ho have but dreamt it vA-hen slumbering ujon his soft couch, tho 
dream would have startled him from his sleep like the call of the eternal 
trumpet ! 

He had no suspicion — not tho slightest. The thing was too improbable 
— too monstrous, to have given cause for one. Its very monstrosity would 
havo d'SHnned him, had the thought been suggested. 

yle had Ix'on pleased at his daughter’s compliance with his late injunc- 
tions ; though he Avould haA'e prefernd her obeying them to the letter, 
and riding out in company Avith her brother or cousin — which she still de 
(lined to do. This, however, he did not insist upon. He could AA’ell con 




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THI HEADLESS HORSEMAK, 


ja8 

code 80 much to her caprice : since her staying at home could bo no disad* 
rantago to the cause which ha<l prompted iiim to the stern counsel. 

Her ready obedience had almost influencisl him to regret the prohibition. 

, Walking in confidence by day, and sleeping in security by night, he fancied, 
it miirht soon be recalled. 

* * * * * * * 

It was one of those nights, known only to a southern sky, when the full 
round moon rolls clear across a canoj)y of sapphire ; when the mountains 
have no mist, and look as though you could lay your hand upon them; 
when the wind is hushed, and the broad leaves of the tropical trees dnwp 
motionless from their boughs ; themselves silent, as if listening to the con- 
cert of singular sounds carried on in their midst, and in which mingle the 
voices of living creatures belonging to every department of animated na. 
ture — beast, bird, reptile, and insect. 

Such a night was it, as you would select for a stroll in company with the 
being— the one and only being— who, by the mysterious dictation of Nature, 
has entwined herself around your heart— a night upon which you feel a 
wayward longing to have white arms entwined around your neck, and 
bright eyes before your face, with that voluptuous gleaming that can only 
be felt to perfection und -r the mystic light ot the moon, 
i It was long after the infantry ilrum had beaten tatoo, and the cavalry 
I " bugle sounded the signal for the garrison of Fort Inge to go to bed — in 
fact it was much nearer tho hour of midnight — when a horseman rode away 
' from the door of Oberdoffiw's hotel ; and, taking the down-river road, was 
ioon lost to tho sight of the, latest loiterer who might have been strolling 
through tho streets of the village. 

It is already known, that this road p.assed the hacienda of Casa del Corvo, 

I at some distance from tho hous*;, and on the O])po8ite side of tho river. It 
is also known that at tho same place it traversed a stretch of open prairie, 
with only a pieco of copsewood midway between two extensive tracts of 
chapparal. . . , „ 

I This clump of isolated timln'r, known in prairie parlance as a “motte 
' or “island” of timber, stoisl by tlu^ side of the road, along which tho 
; horseman had <y)ntinued, after taking his departure from tho village, 
i On reacldng the copse ho dismounted ; le<l his horse in among the undor- 

I w.>od ; “ hitch ^d ’ him, by looping his bridle rein around the to])most twigs 

of an elastic bough ; then detaching a long rojw ot twisted horsehair from 

i tho “ horn ” of his saddle, and nserting his arm into its coil, he glided out 

to the edge of the “ island,” on that aide that lay towards the hacienda. 

Before forsaking tho shadow of the copse, ho cast a glance towards the 
i sky, and at the moon sailing supremely over it. It was a glance of inquiry, 
ending in a look of chagrin, with some muttered phrases that rendcre<l it 
i more emphatic. 

“ No use waiting for that Ix'auty to go to bed ? She’s made up her mind, 
i she won’t go home till morning — ha ! ha !” 

The droll conetdt. which has so oft amused the nocturnal inebriate of 
p^reat citioe, appeal'd to pro<luce a like c‘ff*‘ct upon the niglit patroller of 
the prairie ; and for a moment the. shadow, late darkening his brow, disap- 
poarod. It returned anon ; a« ho stood gazing across the open B{«ce that 


! 


THE nKADLKB* HORSEMAN. iGU 

•oparated him from the river bottom— beyond which lay the hacienda of 
Casa del Corvo, clearly outlined ujjon the oppo.sito bluff. 

“ If there should be any one stirring about the place? It’s not likely at 
this hour ; unless it be tho owner of a bad conscience who can’t sleep 
Troth ! there’s one such within those walls. If he be abroad there’s a gfx^ 
chance of his seeing me on tho opim gniund ; not that I should care a straw, 
if it were only myself to be compromised. By Saint Patrick, I see no 
alternative but risk it ! It’s no use wailing upm tho moon, deuce take her ! 
She don't go down for hours ; and there’s not tho sign of a cloud. It won’t 
«lo to ket'p her waiting. No ; I must chance it in the clear light. Here 
goes !” 

Saying this, with a swift but stealthy step, the dismounted horseman 
glided across tho tmeless tract, and soon reached tho e8carj)ment of tho 
cliff, that formed the second height of land rising above the channel of tho 
Is'ona. 

He did not stay ten seconds in this conspicuous situation ; but by a path 
that zigzagged down tho bluff— and with which ho appeared familiar— ho 
descended to the river “ bottom.” 

In an instant after he stood upon the bank ; at tho convexity of the river’s 
bend, and directly opposite the spot where a skiff was moored, under tho 
Bombro shad(jw of a gigantic cotton-tree. 

For a short while he stood gazing across the stream, with a glance that 
told of scrutiny. He was scanning the shrubbery on the other side ; in tho 
endeavour to make out, whether any one waa concealed beneath its shadow. 

Ik-coming satisfied that no one was there, he raised tho loopend of his 
la/x) — for it was this ho carried over his arm — and giving it half a dozen 
whirls in the air, cast it across the stream. 

The noose settled over the cutwater of the skiff ; and, closing around tho 
stem, euablctl him to tow tho tiny craft to the side on which he stood. 

Stepping in, ho took hold of a i«ir of oars that lay along the planking at 
the bottom ; and, placing them between the tholepins, pulled the boat back 
to its mm)ring8. 

lyoaping out, he secured it as it had been before, against the drift of tho 
current ; and then, taking stand under the shadow of the cotton-tree, ho 
appeared to await either a signal, or the appearance of some one, expected 
by apjx)intment. 

His manceuvres up to this moment, had they been observed, might have 
rendered him amenable to the suspicion that he was a housebreaker, about 
to “ crack the crib” of Casa del Corvo. 

The phrases that fell from his lips, however, could they have been heard, 
would have absolved him of any such vile or vulgar intention. It 
is true he had designs upon the hacienda ; but these did not contemplate 
cither its ca.sh, plate, or jewellery — if we except the most precious jewel it 
contained — the mistress of the mansion herself. 

It is scarce necessary to say, that the man who had hidden his horse in 
the “ motte,” and so cleverly effected the crossing of the stream, watt Man- 
rice the moBtanger. 


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W-4H « f < t^40r 0 ^ H* >4iai94*>«4M 


THE HEADLESS HOUSEMAIT. 


i4d 


CHAPTER XXXII. 


LIGHT AND SHADE. 

Hr had not long to chafo under the trysting-trce, if such u were. At the 
very moment when he was stepping into the skiff, a casement window that 
Iwked to the rear of tlio hacienda commenced turning upon its hinges, ami 
was then for a time held slightly ajar ; as if some one inside was intending 
to issue forth, and only hesitated in order to be assured that the “coast was 
clear.” 

A small white hand — decorated with jewels that glistened under tin* 
light of the moon — grasping the sash, told that the individual who had 
opened the w'indow was of the gentler sex ; the tapering fingers, with their 
costly garniture, proclaimed her a lady; while the majestic figure^ soon 
after exhibited outside, on the top of the stairway iluft led down to the 
garden— could l>c no other than that of Louise Poindexter. 

It was she. 

For a second or two the lady stood listening. She heard, or fancied she 
heard, the dij) of an oar. She might be mistaken ; for the stridulation of 
the cicadas filled the atmosphere with confused sfiund. No matU r. The 
hour of assignation had arrived ; and she was not the one to stand upon 
punctilios as to time — esiiecially after spending two hours of solitary expec- 
tation in her chamber, that had apjieared like as many days. 

With noiseless tread descending the stone stairway, she glide<l syli>h-like 
among the statues and shrubs ; until, arriving under the shadow of the cot- 
ton-wood, she flung licrself into arms eagerly outstretched to receive her. 

Who can describe the sweetness of such embrace — strange to say, sweet- 
er from being stolen ? Who can jiaint the delicious emotions exjierienced 
at such a moment — tc. sacred to bo touched by the pen ? 

It is only after long throes of jileasure hatl jiassed, and the h.vers had be- 
gun to converse in the more sober language of life, that it becomes proper, 
or even {wssible to report them, .... 

Thus did they speak to each other, the lady taking the initiative 

" To-morrow night you will meet me again — to-morrow night, dearest 

Maurice?” , . 

“ To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow — if 1 were free to say me 

word.” . ,, 

“ And why not ? WTiy are you not free to say it ?’ 

“ To-morrow, by break of day, I am off for the Alamo.” 

“ Indeed I Is it imperative you should go ?” . 

The interrogatory was put in a tone that betrayed displeasure. A vision 
of a sinister kind aLvays came before the mind of Louise Poindexter at 
mention of the lone hut on the Alamo. v * v 

And why? It had afforded her hospitality. One would suppose that her 
visit to it could scarce fail to be one of the pleasantest recollections of her 
life. And yet it was not I , • j 

“ I have excellent reasons for going,” was the reply she received. 

” Excellent reasons I Do you expect to meet any one there ?” 

"My follower Phelim — no one else. I hope the poor fellow is still upon 


THE HEADLESS HOUSEMAN. 


141 


the grass. I seut him out about ten days ago — before there was any tidings 
of these Indian troubles.” 

“Only Pheliiii you exjK'Ct tomeet? Is it true, Gerald ? Dearest / do not 
- deceive mo ! Only him V” 

“ Why do you ask the question, Louise.” 

“ 1 cannot tell you why. I should die of shame to BjK'ak my secret 
thoughts.” 

“ Do not fear to speak them : I could keep no secret from you — in truth 
I couhl not. So tell me what it is, love !” 

“ Do you wish me, Maurice?” 

“ I do — of course I do. I feel sure that whatever it may be, I shall be 
able to expl iiu it. I know that my relations with you are of a questionable 
character ; or might be so deemed, if the world know of them. It is for 
that very reason 1 am going back to the Alamo." 

“ And to stay there ?” 

“ Only for a sin^o day, or two at most. Only to gather up my house- 
hold gods, and bid a last adieu to my prairie life.” 

“ Indeed !” 

“ You appear surprised ?” 

" No ! only mystified. I cannot comprehend you. Perhaps I never 
shall !” 

“ Tis very simjde — the resolve I have taken. I know you will forgive 
me, when I make it known to you.” 

“ Forgive you, Maurice ! For what do you ask forgiveness ?” 

“ For kecqung it a secret from you, that — that I am not what I seem.” 

“ God forbid you should be otherwise than what you seem to mo — noble, 
grand, beautiful, rare among men 1 Oh, Maurice I you know not how I 
esteem — how I love you!” 

“ Not more than I esteem and love you. It is that very esteem that now 
counsels mo to a separation.” 

“ A separation ?” 

“ Yes, love ; but it is hoped only for a short time.” 

“ How long ?” 

“ While a steamer can cross the Atlantic, and return.” 

“ An age ! And why this?” 

“ I am called to my native country — Ireland, so much despised, as you 
already know. ’Tis only within the last twenty hours I received the sum- 
mons. I obey it the more eagerly, that it tells me I shall be able soon to 
return, and prove to your proud father that the poor horse hunter who won 
his daughter’s heart have 1 won it, Ijouise?” 

“Idle questioner 1 Won it? You know you have more than won it — 
conquered it to a subjection from which it can never escajH). Mock mo not, 
Maurice, nor my stricken heart — henceforth, and for evermore, your slave I” 

During the rapturous embrace that followed this passionate speech, by 
which a highborn and beautiful maiden confessed to having surrendered 
herself — heart, soul, and body — to the man who had made conquest of her 
affections, there was silence perfect and profound. 

The grasshopper amid the green herbage, the cicada on the tnus leaf, the 
mock bird on the top of tho tall cf)iton-wood, and the nightjar soaring still 
higher in the moonlit air, apparenlly actu.;ted by a simultaiuxtus instinct, 
eeasod to give utterance to their peculiar cries : as though one and all, by 




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142 


the HEADLESo houseman. 


their eilence, designed to do honour to iho sacretl ceremony transnirint? 
iheir presence I ^ i • 

But t'.at temporary cessation of sounds was duo to a different cause. A 
footstep ^rating upon the gravelled walk of the garden— and yet touciun-'- 
It so lightly, that only an acute ear would havo perceived tlio contact— 
w^ tho real cause why the nocturnal voices had suddenly become stilleil. 

iho lovers, absorbed in the sweet interchange of a mutual affection 

1*^0 shadow, in the sliaiKi of man or 

devil, flitting among the flowers; now standing by a statue, now cowerim-- 
under cover of the shrubbery, until at length it became stationary behind 
the trunk of a tree, scarce ten paces from the spot where they were kissiuir 
each Ollier! * 

Little did they suspect, in that moment of celestial happiness when all 
nature was hushed around them, that the silence was exiiosing their pas- 
sionate speeches, and the treacherous moon, at the same time, betrayinir 
their excited actions. * 

That shadowy listener, crouching guilty-like behind the tree, was a wit- 
ness to both. Within easy earshot, he could hear every word — even the 
sighs and soft low murmurings of their love ; while under the silvery light 
of the moon, with scarce a sprig coming bctw’een, he could detect their 
slightest gestures. 

It is scarce necessary to give the name of the dastardly eaves-dropper. 
That of (.'assius Calhoun will have suggested itself. 

It was he. 


CHAPTER XXXIII. 

A TORTURING DISCOVERY. 

How came the cousin of Louise Poindexter to be astir at that late hoar of 
the night, or as it was now, the earliest of the morning? Had ho been for- 
warned of this interview of the lovers ; or was it merely some instinctive 
suspicion that bad caused him to forsake his sleeping-chamber, and mako a 
tour of inspection within the precincts of the garden ? 

In other words, was he an eavesdropper by' accident, or a spy actino- upon 
infonuation previously communicated to him ? " 

The former was the fact. Chance alone, or chance aided by a clear night, 
had given him the clue to a discovery that now filled his soul with the fires 
of hell. 

Standing upon the housetop at the hour of midnight— what had taken 
him up there cannot be guessed— breathing vile tobacco-smoke into an at- 
mosphere before perfumed with the scent of the night-blooming ecrcus, the 
®T-capmin of cvalry did not appi^ar distressed by any pnrti( ular anxiety. 

He had recovered from the injuries received in I is encounter with themus- 

tanger ; and although that bit of evil fortune did not fail to excite within 

him the blackest chagrin, whenever it came up before his mind, its bitter- • *' W 

n**s8 had been, to some extent, countoracted by liopos of revenge— towards a 

plan for which he had already made some progress. 

Ekjually with her father, he had l)een gratified that Louise was contented 
€t late to stay within doors : for it was himself who had secretly suggested 


THE HEADLESS HORBEMAJT. 


143 


tile prohibition to her going abroad. Elqually had he remained ignorant aa 
to the motive of that garden archery, and in a similar manner had miscon- 
ceived it. In fact, he had begun to flatter himself, that, after all, her in- 
ditten-nco to himself might be only a feint on the part of his cousin, or an 
illu.siou upon hie. She had been lees cynical for some days ; and this had 
j'riKluced ujein him the pleasant impression, that he might have been mis- 
t.iken in his jealous fears. 

He had as yet <iiscoven-d no positive proof that she Entertained a partial- 
ily for the young Irishman ; and as the days passed without any renewed 
cause for disijuict, he began to believe that in reality there was none. 

Und(T the soothing influence of this restored confidence, had he mounted 
up to the azotea ; and, although it was the hour of midnight, the careless 
iiuoHciance with which he applied the light to his cigar, and afterwanls stood 
smoking it, showed that he could not have come there for any very imj or- 
tant ]iuri)oso. It may have been to exchange the sultry atmosphere of his 
sleeping room for the fresher air outside; or he may have been tempted 
forth by the magnificent moon — though he was not much given to such 
romantic contemplation. 

Whatever it was, he had lighted his cigar, and was apparently enjoying 
it, with his arms crossed upon the coping of the parapet, and his face 
turned towards the river. 

It did not disturb his tranquillity to see a horseman ride out from the 
chap])aral on the opposide side, and proceed onward across the op<‘n plain. 

He knew of the road that was there. Some traveler, he supposed, who 
preferred taking advantage of the c<x)l hours of the night — a night, loo 
that would have tempted the weariest way farer to continue his journey 
It might be a planter who lived below, returning home from the village! 
after lounging an hour too long in th(( tavern saloon. 

Ir daytime, the individual might havo been identified ; by the moon- 
light, it could only be made out that tliere was a man on horseback. 

The eyes of the ex-oflicer accompanied him as ho trotted along the road • 
but simply with mechanical movements, as one musingly contemplated 
some common waif drifting down the current of a river. 

It was only after the horseman had arrivc'd opposite the island of timber 
and was seen to pull up, and then ride into it, that the spectator upon the 
housetop became stirred to take an interest in his movements. 

" What the deni can that mean ?” muttered Calhoun to himself, as he 
hastily plucked the cigar stump from between his teeth. " D — n the man 
he’s dismounted !” continued he, as the stranger re-appeared, on foot, by 
the inner edge of the coj^se. 

“And coming this way — towards the bend of the river — straight as ho 
can streak it ! 

“Down the bluff — into the bottom — and with a stride that shows him 
well acquainted with the way. Surely to God he don’t intend making his 
way across into the garden ? He’d have to swim for that ; and anything he 
_ could get there would scarce pay him for his pains. What the old Scratch 
can l>e his intention ? A thief?*’ 

This was Calhoun’s first idea — rejected almost as soon as conceived. It 
m true that in Spanish-American countries even the beggar goes on horse- 
back. Much more might the thief? 

For all this it was scarce probaMe, that a man would make a midri ht 
expedition to steal fruit, or vegetables, in such cavalier style. 





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144 


THE I1EAI)I-E88 HOUSEMAN. 


What flso cuiild he l>o alter? , 

The odd maixeuvro ot leaving his horse under cover of the eop^. and 
eoinin.r forward on hwt, and apparently with caution, as far as could bo sejn 
i in the° uncertain light, was of its<df evidence that the man s errand couh 
i Hcarco 'oe honest, and that he was approaching the premises of Casa del 
I C'orvo with some evil design. 

^ syr!-e\ervin'''^Um upper plain he had been no longer visible to Calhoun 
: uia.nth.! housetop. The underwmHl skirting the stream on the oi.postte. 

’ silo, and into which l.e had «-ntered, was cona-aling him. 

Wyy'^uSn Mhrs to himself, and for alamt the tenth time 

eicli witl! increasing ennihasis— the comiiosure of the ex-captam was still 
' fu t'her disturb^ by a souid that reached his ear, exceedingly like a p ungo 
in the river. It was slight, but chuirly the concussion of some liard suli- 

i btatieo brought in contact with water. ;* .< t„ ♦i,,, i.nlv 

“ Tiie stroke of an oar,” muttered ho. on hearing it. Is, by the holy 
I Jeh.Lii! lies got hold of the skifl’, and’s crossing over to the ganlen. 

’ "THe “3l.l UT rnS 'slayine on tho hou^-top to dotonnlno. Ili, 

1 \} fr. fiilpntlv down stairs — rouso the male membiTs of the 

' ;!s 

, ‘“i io K,r,»nr copootono, »nd in the of oloppins 

! back from the parapet, when his ear was sa ut^ ^ 

caused him again to lean forward and look into the garden below. 

' This new miise bore no resemblance to tho stroke of an oar ; nor did t 
i nrc^il'd fnun the di^ of the river. I. was the creaking of a door as it 

I irn .fl its hino'c or what is much the same, a casement window , 

while it came fromlielow— almost directly underneath tho spot where the 

^*'’()n craning over to ascertain the cause, he saw what hlancht^ his c^’ecks 
to the whiteneas of the moonlight that shone uinm tliom-what sent tho 

i belonged to h^ 

chayicTof his cousin Louise. He knew it 

outside uixin the steps that led to the level of the garden, her lace turnea 
I downw'urd as if slic was meditatinj^ a descent. i jj, 

t I^iisely attired in white, ns though in the neglige ^ 

) with onlv a small kerchief coifed over her 

i nymph of the night, some daughter of tho moon, whom Luna delvliteU 

; ^“Souir ni^oimd'" rJ^iidh^ " hT could not do WM 

I nppe.irance outsi Ic the ca.‘emcilt with the ad\en 

i man IT?" Who hut Maurice tho mustanger? 

A clandestine meeting! And by appointment! , , , , 

There could bo no doubt oi it ; and il there had. ’} 
solved, at seeing tho white robod figure glide noiselessly down the stona 


THE headless HORSE.MAN. 


Its 


steps, and along the gravelled walks, till it at length disappeared among 
the trees that shadoweti the mooring-place of the skit!’. 

Like one paralyzed with a jMtwerlul stroke, the ex captain continued for 
some time ujion the azotea — speechless and without motion. It was only 
after the white drni>ery had disappeared, and he lu tffd tlie low murmur of 
voices rising Iroiii among the trees, that he was stimululod to resolve uixm 
some course of proceeding. 

lie tliought no longer of awaking the inmates of the house — at least not 
ilien. Better first to bo himself the sole witness of his cousin’s disgrace , 
and then — and then 

In sliort, lie was not in a state of mind to form any definite plan ; and, 
acting solely under the blind stimulus of a fell instinct, ho hurried down 
the cicalera, nud made his way through the house, and out into tho 
garden. 

lie felt feeble as ho pressed forward. His legs had tottered under him 
wlille descending the stone steps. They did the same ns he glided along 
the gravelled walk. They continued to tremble as he croucheil behind the 
tree trunk that hindered him from being seen — while ])layiiig sis'ctator of a 
scene that alilicted him to the utmost depths of his soul. 

He heard their vows ; their mutual confessions of love ; the determination 
of tho mustanger to bo gone by the break of the morrow’s day ; as also his 
promise to return, and the revelation to which that promise led. 

With bitter chagrin, he heard how tliis determination was combated by 
Louise, and tho reasons why slie at length appeared to consent to it. 

He was witness to that final and rapturous embrace, that caused him to 
strike his foot nervously against the pebbles, and make that noise that had 
senn'd the cicadas into silence. 

Why at that moment did he not spring forward — put a termination to tho 
intolerable tete-a-tete — and with a blow of his bowie-knife lay his rival low — 
at his own feet and that of his mistress? Mdiy had he not done this at tho 
iK'ginning — for to him there needed no further evidence, than the inter\’iew 
itself, to prove that his cousin had been dishonored? 

There was a time when he would not have been so patient. What, then, 
was the punctilio lhat restrained him ? Was it tlie presence of that piece of 
perfect mechanism, that, with a sheen of steel, glistened upon the person of 
his rival, and which, under the bright moonbeams, could be distinguished 
as a “ Colt’s six-shootei ?” 

Perliaps it may have been. At all events, despite the terrible temptation 
to which his soul was suhipitted, something not only hindered him from 
taking an immediate vengeance, hut in the mid-moments of that maddening 
spectacle — the final embrace— prompted him to turn away from the spot, 
and with an earnestness, even keener than he had yet exhibited, hurry back 
ill the direction of the house: leaving the lovers, still unconscious of having 
been observed, to bring their sweet interview to am ending — sore to be pitv 
iraatiaated. 

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146 


THE IIEADLKHS IIOKSKMAM. 


CHAPTER XXXIV. 

A CHIVALROUS DIOTATIOV. 

Whebh went Cassius Calhoun ? 

Certainly not to his own sleeping-room. There was no sleep for a spirit 
sufiering like his. 

Ho went not there; but to the chamber of hie cousin. Net hers no'\ 

untenanted, with its couch unoccupied, its coverlet undisturbed but to that 

of her brother, young Henry Poindexter. 

Ho went direct as crooked corridors would permit him — in haste, without 
waiting to avail himself of the assistance of a candle. 

It was not needed.' The moonbeams penetrating through the open bars 
of the rfja, filled the chamber with light — sutficient for his purpose. Tliey 
disclosed the outlines of the apartment, with its simple furnitute — a wash- 
stand, a dreesing-table, a couple of chairs, jind a bed with '‘mosejuito 
curtains,” 

Under these last was the youUi reclining; in that sweet silent slumber 
experienced only by the innocent. His finely formed head rested ealinly 
upon the pillow, over which lay scattered a profusion of shining curls. 

As Calhoun lilttnl the muslin “ l)ar,” the moonbeams fell upou his face, 
displaying its outlines of the manliest aristocratic type. 

What a contrast l)etween those two sets of features, brought into such 
close proximity 1 Both physically handsome ; but morally, as Hyj>erion to 
the Satyr. 

“Awake, Harry! awake!” was the abrupt salutation extended to the 
elee{>er, accompanied by a violent shaking of his shoulder. 

“ Oh ! ah 1 you. cousin Cash ? What is it ? Not the Indians, I hope ?” 

“Worse than that — worse 1 worse! Quick! Rouse yourself, and see! 
Quick, or it wdl be too late! Quick, and bo the witness of your own dis- 
grac«* — the dishonor of your house. Quick, or the name of Poindexter will 
be the laugliing-stock of Texas 1” 

After such summons there could be no inclination for sleep — at least on 
the ])art of a Poindexter ; and at a single bound, the youngest representative 
of the family cleart^d the mosquito curtains, and stood upon hie feet in the 
middle of the floor — in attitude of spt'echless astonishment. 

“ Don’t wait to dress,” cried hie excited counsellor, “ stay, you may put on 
your pants. D — n the clothes! There’s no time for standing ujwn trifles. 
Quick 1 Quick I” 

Tlte simple costume the young planter was accustomed to wear, consisting 
ol trousers and Creole blouse of Attakapas eottonade, were adjusted to his 
jM^rson in less than twenty seconds of time ; and in twenty more, obedient 
to tile command of his cousin — without understanding why he had been so 
unceremoniously summoned forth — he was hurrying along the gravelled 
walks of the garden. 

, “ Wliat is it. Cash?” he inquired, as soon as the latter showed signs of 
coming to a stop. " What does it all mean ?” 

“ See for yourself I Stand close to me 1 Look through yonder opening in 
the trees that leads down to the place where your skifT is kept. Do you see 
anything there ?” 


THE HEADLESS HOKSEMAH. 


141 


*' Something white. It looks like a woman’s dreee. It is that It’s a 
woman !” 

“ It is a woman. Wlio do you suppose she is?" 

“ I can’t tell. Who do you say she is?” 

" There's another figure — a dark one — by her side.” 

“ It appears to be a man ? It is a man I” 

“An I who do you suppose he is?” 

“ How should 1 know, a)usiu Cash ? Do you?” 

“ 1 do That man is Maurice the mustanger !” 

And tiie woman ?” 

"Is Louise — your sister — tu his nniis!’’ 

As if a shot had struck him through the heart, the brother bounded up- 
ward, and then onw ird, along tlie patlr. 

“ Stay !” said Callioun, catcliing liold of. and restraining him. “ lou for- 
get that you are unanne.l ! The fellow, I know, has weapons upon hinx 
Take tliis, and this,” continiuKl he, i)a8sing his own knife and pistol into 
liie hands of ids cou.sin. “ I should have used them mystdf, long ere this ; 
but I tiiouglit it bett(‘r that you— her l)rother— sliould be the avenger of 
your sister's wrongs. On, my l)oy ! Set* that you don I hurt her; but take 
care not to lo.se tiie ciiauce at him. Don’t give him a word of warning. 
As soon as tliey are separated, send a bullet into his belly ; and it all six 
sliould fail, g ) at liim with the knife. I’ll etay near, and take care of you, 
if you sliould gut into danger. Now 1 Steal uiion him, and give the 
sc uiu Irel li — 1 1” 

It needed not tliis blasphemous injunction to inspire Henry Poindexter 
-to liasiy action. The brother of a sister — a beautiful sister — erring, un- 
d III ) ! 

In six seconds he. was oy her side, confronting licr sup^xised seducer. 

“ Low villain I” he cried, “ unc!n.sp your loathsome arm from the waist of 
my sister. Louise! stand aside, and give me a c’ ance of killing him 1 
Aside, sister ! Aside, I say !” 

Had llie command been obeyed, it is probable that Maurice Gerald would 
at tliat moment have ceased to exist — unless he had found heart to kill 
Henry Poindexter ; which, experienced as he was in the use of his six- 
sliooter, and prompt in its manipulation, he might have done. 

Instead of drawing the pistol from its liolstcr, or taking any steps for de- 
fence, lie appeared only do.Virous of disengaging himself from the fair arms 
still clinging around him, and for whose owner he alone felt alarm. 

For Henry to fire at the supixised betrayer, was to risk taking his sister’s 
life; and, res'rained by the fear of this, he jiausH-d before pulling trigger. 

That pause produce.! a crisis favourable to the safety of all three. The 
Creole girl, wit i a quiclc ]).>rccption of the circumstanciaj, suddenly ndea-sisl 
her lov’or fnim the protecting eiiihr.ice; and, almost in the same in-tant, 
tlirew her armi around those ol her brother. She knew there was nothing 
to be apprehends i from the iiistol of Maurice. Henry' alone had to be held 
from doing mischief. 

“ Go, go ! ■ she shouted to the former, while struggling to restrain tho 
Infuriated youth. “ My brother is deceived liy appearances. Leave me to 
explain. Away. Maurice ! away !” 

“ Henry Poindexter,” said the young Irishman, as he turned to obey the 







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Tilt: .lb:AULc.Sa HOUS£UAN'. 


friendly command, “ I am not the nort of villain you have been pleased to 
pronounce me. (live me but time, and 1 shall prove, tiiat your sister has 
formed a truer estimate of my character than cither her father, brother, or 
cousin. 1 claim but s.x months. If at the cud of that time 1 do not show 
myself worthy of her omlidence — her — love — theu shall 1 make you wel- 
come to slioot me at si;rhl, us you would the cowardly coyote, that chanced 
to cross your track. Till then, 1 bid you adieu.” 

Henry's stru}f"le to escape trom his sister's arms — perhaps stronger tlian 
his own — grew less energetic as he listeiu'd to these words. They became 
i feebler and feebler — at length ceasing — when a plunge in the river an- 
nounced that the miilnight intruder into the enclosed grounds of Casa del 
Corvo was on his way back to the wild piairies he had chosen for his homo. 

It was tiio first time he had recrossed the river in that primitive fashion. 

On the two jirevious occasitius he had passed over in tlio skifi'; which had 
been drawn back to its m(K)rings by a delicate hand, the tow-rope consist- 
ing of that tiny lazo that had lormed part of the caparison presented along 
with the spotted mustang. 

“ Brother ! you are wronging him ! indeed you are wronging him 1” were 
t i],(j words of exjiostulatiou that followed close uiKin his departure. “ Oh, 

I Henry dearest Hal, if you knew how noble he is ! So far from desiring to 

' do me an injury, 'tis only this moment he has been disclosing a plan to — to 

prevent — scandal — I mean to make me hajjpy. Believe me, brother, ho is 

a gentleman ; and if he were not — if only tin; common man you take him 
for — I could not help what 1 have done — 1 could not, f(»r I love him!" 

“ Louise I tell mo the truth ! Speak to me, jiot as to your brother, but as 
to your own self. From wliat I have this night seen, more than from your 
. own words, I know that you love this man. Has ho taken advantage of 
j your — your — unfortunate passion ?” 

I “ — no— no. As I live he has not. He is too noble for that— even had 
I I — Henry ! he is innocent ! If there be cause for regret, I alone am to 
i blame. Whv — oh! brother I why did you insult him V” 

; " Have I done so ?” 

“ You have, Henry — rudely, grossly.” 

“ I shall go after, and apologize. If you speak truly, sister, I owe him 
that much. I shall go this instant. I liked him from the first — you know 
I did ? I could not believe him capable of a cowardly act. I can’t now. 
i Si«ter ! come back into the house with me. And now, dearest Loo I you 
had Initter go to lied. As for me, I shall be off tmtanter to the hotel, where 
. 1 may still hojx; to overtake him. I cannot rest till I have made reparation 

! for my rudeness.” , . . u *1 

So spoke the forgiving brother ; and gently leading his sister by the 
1 hand, wdth thoughts of compn.ssion, but not the slightest trace of anger, lie 
! hastily nUurruHl to the hacienda — intending to go after the young Inshrnan, 
j and apologize for the use of wonls that, under the circumstances, might 
: have boon deemed excusable. i » 

j As the two disappeared within the doorway, a third figure, hitherto • 
I crouching among the shrubbery, wa.s se«m to rise erect, and follow them up 
the stone steps. This last was their cousin, Cassius Calhoun. 

He, too, had thoughts of gnirg nftn- the mustanger. * 


THE HEADLESS llUKbEUAlt. 


lid 


CHAPTER XXXV. 

AN CNCOCKTEOCfl HOST. 

“ Tns chicken-hearted fool I Fool myself, to have trusted to such hope \ 

I might have known she’d cajole the young calf, and let the scoundrel es- 
cape 1 could have shot him from la'liiiid thetree- dead as a drowned rat ! 
And without risking anythiiig-even disgrace ! Xot a particle ol rirk. 
Uncle Wooilley would have thanked me— the whole settlement would have 
said 1 had done right. My cousin, a young lady. In trayed by a comm, i, 
scaiiii)— a horse triuler— who w.uild have said a word against it Y Such a 
chaiic<‘! Why have 1 missed itY Death and tho devil— it may not trump 

'*'such”were the reflections of the ex captain of cavalry, while at some 
paces distance following his two cousins on their return to the hacienda. 

* •• I wonder,” muttered he, on re entering the pePo, “ whether the bluln'r- 
ing baby be in earnest Y Going after to aixilogize to the man who has made 
a 1 Vh> 1 of his sister! Ha-ha! It would bo a gotsl joke were it not too se 
rious to be laughed at. Ho is in earnest, else why that row in tho stable? 
’Tis he bringing out his horse! It is, by the Almighty 1 

The door of the stable, as is customary in Mexican haciendas, opened | 

upon the jiaved 

It was standing ajar ; but just ns ( alhoun turned his eye upon it, a man 
coming from the inside pusli.Kl it wide oja ii ; and then stepped over tho 
threshf.ld, witli a saddh'd hors.^ following close after him. 

The man had a Panama hat uiKiii his hea.l. i nd a cloak thrown loosely 
around his shoulders. This did. not hinder Calhoun from recognizing Ins 
cousin Henry, as also the dark brown horse that belonged to him. 

“ Fool ! So— you’ve let him olfY” spitefully muttered the ex-capiam, as 
the other came within whispering distance. ” c nie back the bow nr 
and pistol. They’re not toys suited to such debate fingers ns yours I 
Bah 1 Why did you not use them as I told you ? You've made a moss oi\ 

“ I have," tranquilly responded the young planter. I know it. I’ve in- 

sulted- and grossly too — a noble fellow.” , a ^ 

•‘Insulted a noble fellow! Ha-ha-ha 1 Aou’re mad-by heavens, 

I^eho^uld have been had I followed your counsel, cousin Cash. Fortu- 
nately I did not go so far. I have done enough to deserve bi-ing <»11(^ 
worse than a fool ; though perhaps, under the circumstances, I "^^y obtain 
forgiveness for my fault. At all events, I intend to try for it and without 

losing lime.” 

" Where are you going?” _ • j ♦ 

•' After Maurice the mustanger— to apologize to him for my misconduct. 
“Misconduct! Ha— ha— ha! Surely you are joking T 
“ No. I’m in earnest. If you come along with me, you shall seel 
“ Then I say again vou are mad 1 Not only mad, but a d-- — d natural- 

bom idiot ! you are, by .1 s C 1 and General Jackson I” 

" You’re not very polite, cousin Cash: though after the language ire 




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150 


THE HEADLESS HOUSEMAN. 


been lately usinp: myself, I might excuse you. Perhaps you will one day 
Imitate me, and make amends for your rudeness.” 

Without adding another word, the young gentleman — one of the *orao- 
what rare types of Southern chivalry —sprang to his saddle; guvs the 
word to his horse ; and rode hurriedly through the saguan. 

(’alhoun stood ujam the stones, till the footfall of the horse hccatne but 
faintly distinguishable in the distance. 

Tlien, as if acting under some sudden impulse, he hurried along the 
verandah to his own room; entered it; reappeared in a rough overcoat; 
cr<)sse<l back to the stable; went in; came out again with his own horse 
s.addled and bridled ; led the animal along the pavement, as gently ns if 
he was stealing him ; and once outside upon the turf Sjirang upon his back, 
and rode rapidly away. 

For a mile or more ho followed the same roail that had been taken by 
Henry Poindexter. It could not have been with any idea of overtaking the 
latter : since, long l)efore, the hoof strokes of Henry's horse had ceased to 
be heanl ; and proetteding at a slower pace, Calhoun did not ride as if ho 
cared about catching up with his cousin. 

He had tak«m the ujvriver road. When alwut midway between Casa del 
Corvo and the Fort, he reined up ; and, after scrutinizing the chapparal 
around him, struck off by a bridle pafli leading back toward the bank of the 
river. As ho turned into it ho might have Ix'en heard muttering to him- 
self,— 

" A chance still left ; a good one, though not so cheap as the other. It 
w'ill cost me a thousaml dollars. What of that, so long ns I ged rid of this 
Irish curse, who has jioisoned every hour of my existence I If true to his 
promi.se, lie takes the route to his home by an early hour in the morning. 
What time, I wonder. These men of the*])rairies call it late rising, if they 
be abo'l till daybreak I Never mind. There’s yet time for the Coyote to 
i^get bid’ore him on the road ! 1 know that. It must be the same as we 

jfollowed to the wild horse prairies. He s]>oko of his hut upon the Alamo. 
vThat’s the name of the crook where we had our picnic. The hovel cannot 
/ be far from there! The Mexican must know the jdace, or the trail leading 
j to it ; which last will be sutRciont for his ]mrp<jse and mine. A fig for the 
1 s’nnnty itselfl The owner may never reach it. TIkto may be Indians up- 
j on the road! There mmt lx‘, before daybreak in the morning!” 

; As Calhoun concluded tliis string of strange reflections, he had arrived 
at the door of another “ shanty ” — that of the Mexican mustanger. The 
jttcale was the goal of his journey. 

Having slipped out of his saddle, and knotted his bridle to a branch, he 
' set fool upon tlie threshold. 

The door was standing wide open. From the inside proceeded a sound, 

I easily identified as the snore of a slumberer. 

j It was not as of one who sleeps either tranquilly, or continuously At 
I short intervals it was interrupted — now by silent pauses — anon by hog-like 
! gruntings, intersp*rse<l with profane words, not perlectly pronounced, but 
slurred from a thick tongue, over which, but a short w'hile before, must 
! have passed a stui^ndous quantity of alcohol. 

; “ Carrambo I carrai 1 canijo— chingara ! mil diablos !” mingled with 

TKOre— perhaps less — reverential exclamations of " Sangre de Cristo 1 Jesus 1 
i — 

\ 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN, 


151 


gttDtissima Virgon . Santa Maria ! Dios ! Mudre de Dios 1” and the like, 
were uttered inside the jacale, as if the sinniker was engaged iii an 
apostrophic conversation with all the principal characters ot the 1 opish 

Pantheon. 

Calhoun paused upon the threshold and listened. 

“ Mai— dit dit — o 1” muttered the sleeixr, concluding the exclamation 

with a hiccup. “ Buen — buenos nove — dad — es 1 Good news, jKir sangre 
" Chrees— Chieest— o! Si S'nor Merican— < auo 1 Novo— dad— es six-rbos! 

Hos liidyos Co — CO— manchees on the war-trail — el .-astro de guerra. God 

bless the Co — co — manchees 1” , . , , 

The brute’s drunk ! ’’ said his visitor, mechanically siieaking aloud, 

“ jrta S nor !" exclaimed the owner of tbo aroused to a state of 

somi-conciou.sne68 Uj' the sound of a human voice. “ Qiiun llama \\ ho 
has the honor— that is, have 1 the happness— 1, Miguel Diaz-— el Co coy- 
ol,>, as the kperos call me. Ha, ha 1 coyo-^oyot. Bah ! what s m a name 1 

Youns S'nor ‘f J/d rffwowio* .' who are you ?” , , . , . - .r 

Partially raising himself from his reed couch, the inebriate remained fot 
a short time in a sitting attitude— glaring, half interrogaliyely halt uncon- 
sciously, at the individual whose voice had intruded itself into his drunken 

The unsteady examination lasted only for a score of seconds. Then tho 
owner of tho jacale, with an unintelligible speech, subsided into a recum- 
bent position; when a savage grunt, succeeded by a prolong, d snore 
proved him to have become obliviouB to the lact that hiB domicile contained , 

^ “^Amother chance lost!” said tho latter, hissing the words through his , 
teeth, as he turned disappointedly from the door. “ A solicr fool and (lrunk-<. 
en knave — two precious tools wherewith to accomplish a jmrjKise like 
mine ! Curse the luck! All this night it’s been against me ! It may bo 
three long hours before tliis pig sleeps off the swill that has stujx'fiiMl him. 
Three long hours, and then what would be tho use of him Y ’T would bo 

too— too late 1” „ , , v i i ^ 

As he said this, ho caught tho rein of his bridle and stood by tho head of 

his horse, as if uncertain what course to pursue. 

“ No use my staving ! It might lie daybreak before the d d liquor 

gets out of his skull. I may as well go back to tho hacienda and wait there ; 

or else — or else ” . , i j 

Tho alternative, that at this crisis presented itself, was not spoken aloud. 
\Vhat*:ver it may have lieen, it had tlie ••ffect of terminating the hesitancy 
that hung over him. and stirring him to inirntniiate action. 

» Roughly tearing his rein from the branch, and passing it over his horse’s 

head, he sprang into the saddle, and rode off from the jacaU in a direction 
tho very opposite to that in which ho had approached it 


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THE HEADLE68 HORSEUAN, 

CHAPTER XXXVL 

TIEREE TRAVELERS ON THE SAME TRACK. 

. No one am deny, that a ride upon a smooth-turfed prairie is one of the 
most positive pleasures of sublunary existence. No one u Ul deny it wJio 
has had the good fortune to exjH-rience the delightul sensation ^ With a 
spirited horse between your tliiglis, a well-stocked valise stranried to the 
^ ^ntle of your middle, a tlask of F.ench brandy slung han.ly over the 
born and a plethoric cigar-case i.rotruding from under the flap of your 
. bolster, you may set forth iii^m a day s journey, without mucirfear 

. of feiMing weary by the way. 

; A friend riding by yo,^ side-like yourself alive to the beauties of nature 
and sensitive to its sublimitiem-will make the ride, though lonir and 
•otherwise arduous, a pleasure to be remembered for many, many yeare’ 

It that friend chance to be some fair creature, upon whom you have fixed 
; your affections, then will you exix*rience a delight to remain in vour 
, memory for ever. 

' prairie-travelers were to be favored with such companionship, 

i tlio 'wil(leme88 of Western Texas would soon l)€Coine crowded witli touxists * 
f the great plains would cease to be “ pathless ” the savannas would swarm 
with snobs. 

'Tis better as it is. As it isyou may launch yourself upon the prairie : and 

once beyond the precincts of the settlement from which vou have started 

unless you keep to the customary “ road,” indicated only by the hoof prints of 
half a dozen horse men who have preceded you— you may ride on for hours 
^ days, w'eeks, months, perhaps a whole year, without encountering aught 
tliat bears the slightest resemblance to yourself, or the image in which you 
have been made. ^ 

Only those who have traversed the great plain of Texas can form a true 
; estimate of its illimitable vastness; impressing the mind with sensations 
! similar to those we feel in the contemjdation of infinity. 

' la some sense may the mariner comjirehend my meaning. Just as a ship 
j may cross the Atlantic Ocean — and in tracks most frequented by sailing 
( craft — without sighting a single sail, so ujton the prairies of South-western 
! Texas, the traveler may journey on for months, amid a solitude that seems 
eternal ! 

Even the ocean itself does not give such an impression of endless space. 
Moving in its midst you perceive no change — no sign to tell you you are 
progressing. The broad circular surface of azure blue, with the concave 
5 hemisphere of a tint but a few shades lighter, are always around and above 
) you, seeming ever the same. You think they are so; and fancy yourself at 
rest in the centre of a sphere and a circle. You are thus to some extent 
I hindered from having a clear conception of “magnificent distances.” 

I On the prairie it is different. The " landmarks ” — there are such, in th« 

I shape of “ mottes,” mounds, trees, ridges, and rocks — constantly changing 
j before yonr view, admonish you that you are passing through space ; and 
I this very knowledge imbues you with the idea of vnstness. 

It is rare for the prairie traveler to contemplate such scenes alone — rarer 
still upon the plains of South-western Texas. In twos at least— but oftener 


' 162 

> 

I 

I 

1 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


153 


In companies of ten or a score — go they, whose need it is to tempt the perils 
of that wilderness claimed by the Comanches ns ancestral soil. 

For all this, a solitary traveler may at times bo encountered : for on tlu? 
same night that witnessed the te-nder and stormy scenes in the garden of 
Casa del Corvo, no less than three such made the crossing of the plain that 
stretches south-westward from the banks of the Leona River. 

Just at the time that (.'alhoun was making his discontented departuro 
from the jacale of the Mexican mustanger, the foremost of those ncxturnal 
travelers was clearing the outskirts of the village — going in a direction 
which, if followed far enough, w'ould conduct him to the Nueces River, of 

one of its tributary streams. t rr 

It is scarcely necesary to say, that he was on horseback. In Texas 
there are no predestrians, beyond the precincts of the town or plantation. 

The traveler in question be.st rode a strong steed ; whose tread, at once 
vigorous and elastic, proclaimed it capable ot carrying its rider through a 

long Journey, without danger of breaking down. ... 

Whether such a journey was intended, could not have been told by the 
bearing of the traveler himself. He was e<juipped, as any Texan cavalier 
might have been, lor a ten-mile ride — perhaj)s to his o\Nn house. The latis 
ness of the hour forbade the 8up{X)sition, that he could bo going from it. 
The scrape on his slumlders — somewhat carelessly banging might have 
been only put on to protect them against the dews of the night. 

But as there was no dew on that ])articular night— nor any outlying ^t- 
tlement in the direction ho was heading to — the horeeman was more like 
to have been a real traveler — en route for some distant point upon the 

prairies. , 

For all this ho did not appear to be in haste ; or uneasy as to the hour at 
which he might reach his destination. . j - 

On the contrary, he seemed absorbed in some thought, that linked itself 
with the past ; sufficiently engrossing to render him unobservant of out- 
ward objects, and negligent in the management of his horse. , i • 

Tiie latter, with the rein lying loosely upon his neck, was left to take his 
own way ; though instead of stopping, or straying, ho kept steadily on, as if 
over ground oft trodden before. 

Thus leaving the animal to its own guidance, and pressing it neither 
with whip nor spur, the traveler rode tranquilly over the prairie, till lost 
to vdew — not by interv’ention of any object, but solely though the dimness 
of the light, where the moon bc'cunic misty in the far distance. * * * 

Almost on the instant of his disapixrarance— and as if the latter had 
been taken for a cue — a second horseman spurred out from the suburbs of 
the village ? and proceeded along the same path. 

From the fact of his being habited in a fashion to defend him against 
the chill air of the night, ho loo might have beeu taken for a traveler. 

A cloak clas{ied across his breast hung over his shoulders, its ample 
skirts draping backward to the hips of his horse. 

Unlike the horseman who had precedixi him, he showed signs of haste- 
plying both whip and spur as he pressed on. 

He appeared intent on overtaking some one. It might be the individual 

whose form had just faded out of sight? 

This was all the more probable from the style of his equitation — at short 



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154 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


lutcnrnl.: bending forward in his sjuldllc, and scannin" the horizon bcfor* 
Joni, as r oxi>ectin<? to sre sojiio form outlined al)Ovo tlio line of iheskv. 

G^ntinuinjf to advanrc in this jK-culiar fashion, he alsodisappimrcd Ironi 
view— exactly at the same jKunt, where his precursor had ceased to be visi- 
ble — to any one whose gaze might have Insen following liim from the Fort 
or village. * * * * * * * * 

An Old contingency — if such it wen* — that just at that very instant a 
third iiorseman roilo forth from the outskirts of the little Texan to^vn, and, 
like the other two, coiitinueil advancing in a direct lino across the prairia 

He, also, was costumed as if for a journey. A ‘ blanket-coat ’ of scarlet 
colour shrouded most of his js-rson from sight — its ample skirts spread over 
his thighs, half concealing a short jager rifle, strapped aslant along the flap 
of his saddle. 

Like the foremost of the three, he exhibited no signs of a desire to move 
rapidly along the road. He was ])roceeding at a slow pace— even for a 
traveler. For all that, his manner betokened a state of mind far from 
trarujui! ; and in this resjK'Ct he might be likened to the horseman who had 
.more immediately preceded him. 

Hut there was an e.ssential ditTerenco Ix'twecn the actions of the two men. 
Wliereas the chiaked cavalier aj>pean‘d desirous of overtaking some one in 
advance, he in the red blanket coat seemed altogether to occupy himself in 
reconnoitring towanls his rear. 

At intervals ho would slue himself round in tho stirrups — sometimes 
half turn his horse — and scan tin; track over which he had passed ; all tho 
while listening, ns though ho expected to hear s<jme one who should be 
coming after him. 

Still keejiing up this singular surveillance, ho likewise in due time reach- 
ed the point of disapjHjarance, without having overtaken any one, or been 
himself overtaken. 

Though at nearly equal distances apart while making tho passage of tho 
prairie, not one of the three horsemen was within sight of either of the 
others. Tho second, halfway lajtween the other two, was beyond reach of 
the vision of either, ns they were beyond his. 

At the same glance no eye could have taken in all three, or any two of 
them ; unh-ss it had IxH n that of the great Texan owl perched upm tho 
summit of some eminence, or tho " whii)-i)oor-will ” soaring still higher in 
pursuit of the moon-lo>'ing moth. 

*»«***« 

An hour latter, and at a i)oint of the prairie ten miles farther from Fort 
Inge, tho relative positions of the three travellers had undergone a consider- 
able change. 

The foremost was just entering in‘o a sort of alley or gap in tho chappa- 
ral forest ; which here extended right jind left acro^ the plain, far as tho 
eye could trace it. The alley might have been likened to a strait in tho 
sea; its smooth turfed sur'ace C'>ntnisting wdth the darker foliage of tho 
bonlering thickets ; as water with dry laud. It was illumined thoughout a 
'■art of Us length — a half mile or so — tho moon showing at its opposite ex- 
iri'mity. Beyond this the dark tree lint* closed it in, where it angled round 
into sombre shadow. 

Before entering the alley the foremost of the trio of travellera, and for 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN, 


ITm ) 

the first time, exhibited signs of hesitation. He remed up; and for a , 
second or two sate in his saddle regarding the ground before him. His at- | 
tendon was altogether directed to the opening through the trees m his 
front. Ho made no attempt at reconnoitring his rear. ! 

His scrutiny, from whatever cause, was of short continuance. 

Seemingly satisfied, ho muttered an injunedon to his horse, and rode on | 

ward into the gap. • .1 1 u n ™ f 

Though ho saw not him, ho was seen by the cavalier in the clonk, follow . 

ing upou the same track, and now scarce half a mile behind. f 

The latter, on beholding him, gave utterance to a slight exclamation. 

It was joyful, nevertheless ; as if he was gratified by the prosi>ect of at | 
length overtaking the individual whom he had been for ten miles so earn- j 

estly pursuing. , , , . , • * 

Spurring his horse to a still more rapid pace, he also entered the opening ; j 
but only in time to get a glimpse of the other, just passing under the r 
shadow of the trees, at the point where the avenue angled. , 

Without hesitation, he rode after ; soon disappearing at the same place, l 

and in a similar manner. , . . , , , 1 1 

It was a longer interval In-foro the third and hindmost of the horm-men | 

approached the pass that led through the chapparal. , , I 

He did approach it, however ; but instead of riding into it, as the others 
had done, he turned off at an angle towards the edge of the timlH-r ; and, . 
after leaving his horse among the trees, crossed a corner of the thicket, and 

came out into the ojiening on foot. * 

Keeping along it— to all appearance still more solicitous about ^methmg • 
that migiit be in his rear than anything that was in front of him— he at ; 
length arrived at the shadowy turning ; where, like the two others, ho ab j 
ruptlv disapiieared in the darkness. [ 

* ♦ ♦ ♦ * * I 

An hour elapsed, during which the nocturnal voices of the chapimrai— ; 
that had Is'en twice temporarily silenced by the hoof-stroke of a horse, and 
once by the footsteps of a man— had kept up their choral cries by a , 

thousand stereotyjied repietitions. , . . 1 

Then there came a further interruption; more abrupt in its commence- f 
menv and of longtT continuance. It was caused by a sound, very different 
from that made by the passage of either horseman or iiedcstrian over the 

^"^It^ wa 8 \^he report of a (^n, quick, sharp, and clear— the “ spang " that , 

denotes the discharge of a rifle. 1 . 

As to the authoritative wave of the conductor s baton the orchi'Stro jields 
Instant obedience, so did the prairie minstrels simaltanwusly take their cue 
from that abrupt detonation, that inspired one and all of them with a pc- 
culi&r ftTVQ 

The tig^r cat miaulling in the midst of tho chapparal. the coyote howl- i 
ing along its skirts ; even the jaguar who m^id not fear any forest f«M‘ that 
might approach him, acknowledged his diead of that quick, sharp explosion 
-to him unexplainablo-by instantly discontinuing his cries. 

As no other wund succeeded the shot— neither the gman of a woundeil 
man, nor the scream of a stricken animal-the jaguar scon rocoveretl cenfi 



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150 


THE HEADLESS UOKsSMAK. 


d nco, and once more essayed to frighten the denizens of the thicket with 
hirt hoarse growling. 

Friends and enemies — birds, beasts, insects, and reptiles— disregarding 
his voice in tlio distance, resumed tlie thread of their choral strain ; until 
the cliapparal was restored to its normal noisy condition, when two individ* 
uals standing close together, can only hold converse by speaking in the 
iiighest pitch of their voices I 


CHAPTER XXXVII. 

A MISSING MAN. 

The breakfast bell of Casa del (V>rvo had sounded its second and last sum- 
mons — pri'ceded by a still earlier signal from a horn, intended to call in th« 
stragglers from remote parts of the plantation. 

The "field hands” laboring near had collected around the "quarter;” 
and in groups, 8<iuatted ui)on the grass, or seated ujKm stray logs, were dis- 
cussing their diet — by no means spare — of "hog and hominy,” corn-bread 
and “ corn-coffee,” with a jocosity that proclaimed a keen relish of these, 
their onlinary comestibles. 

The planter’s lamily assembletl in the s tUi were about to begin breakfast, 
when it was discovered that one of its members were missing. 

Henry was the absent one. 

At first there was but little notice taken of the circumstance. Only tho 
conjecture: that he would shortly make his apj)earance. 

As several minutes passed without his coming in, tho planter quietly ob. 
served that it was rather strange of Henry to be behind time, and wonder 
where he could bo. 

The breakfiist of the South-western American is usually a well appointeni 
meal. It is eaten at a fixed hour, and table d’ hole fashion — all tho members 
of tlie family meeting at the table. 

This habit is exact^ by a sort of necessity, arising out of the nature of 
some of the viands peculiar to the country ; many of which, as " Virginia 
. bi.scuit,” “ buckwheat cakes,” and “ waffles,” are only relished coming 
fresh from tho fire : so that tho hour when breakfast is being eaten in the 
diningroom, is that in which the cook is broiling her skin in the kitchen. 

As the laggard or late riser, may have tojmt up with cold biscuit, and no 
1 waffl.'s or buckweat cakes, there are few such on a Southern plantation. 

C>>nsi<lering this custom, it tens somewhat strange, that Henry Poindexter 
had not yet put in an appearance. 

, “ Where can the boy bo ?” asked his father, for the fourth time, in that 

: tone of mild conjecture that scarce calls for reply. 

j None was made by either of the other two guests at the table. Ijouise 
, only gave expression to a similar conjecture. For all that, there was a 
; strangeness in her glance — as in the tone of her voice — that might have 
‘ been ob^rved by one closely scrutinizing her features. 

It could scarce be caused by the absenci^ of her brother from the break- 
fast table? The circumstancu was too trifiing to call up an emotion ; and 
' elearly at that moment was she suhioct to one. 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


16 ^ 


r 


% 




What was it? No one put tho inquirj'. I h-r father did not notice any 
thing odd in her look. Much less Calhoun, who was himself markedly 
labouring to conceal some disagreeable thought under the guise of an as- 
sumed mivete. , , , . . , i- , , 

Ever since entering the room he had maintained a studied silence ; keep- 
In-' his eyes averted, instead of, according to his usual custom, constantly 
ftraying towards his cousin. 

He sate nervously in his chair ; and once or twice might have lieen seen 
to start, as a servant entered tlio roun. 

Ih-vond doubt he was under the inlliience of some extraordinary agitation. 

“ Very strange Henry not Is-ing here to his breakfast'” remarked the 
idanter, for aliout the tenth time. “ Surely he is not abe<l till this hour? 

never lies so late. And yet if abroa-l, ho couldn’t Is; at such 
a distance as not to have lu-ard tho horn. Ho mny bo in his room ? It is 
just possible. Pluto !” 

“ Ho— ho ! d'ye call me. Mass’ Woodley ? I so hya. 

The sable coachee, acting ns table waiter, was in tho sain, hovering around 


If bo’s there, tell him we’ro at breaklast 


the chairs. 

" Go to Henry’s sleeping-room, 

■ — half through wdth it.” 

“ He no dar, Mass’ Woodley.” 

" You have been to his room ?” 

« H() hoi Yas. Dat am I’se no been to de room itself; but I’so been 

to de ’table, to look alter Massa Henry boss ; and gib urn him fodder an’ 

com. Ho ho ! Dat same olo ho.-s he ain’t dar ; nor han’t a been all ob 

dis mornin’. I war up by de fuss skreek ob day. No hoes dar, no saddle, 
no bridle ; and ob coass no Mnssa Henry. Ho— hoi He lieen an’ gone out 
’fore anb’dy wor ’tirrin’ ’iKuil de place.” 

Arc you sure?” asked tho i»lnnter seriously stirred by the intelligence. 

‘•Satin shoo. Mass’ Woodley. Dar’s no hossdoins in dat ere ’table, cep- 

E in de sorel ob Massa Calhoun. S^iotty am in de ’closure outside. Massa 
lenry hos*' ain’t nowha.” 

" It don’t follow that Master Henry himself is not in his room. Go in- 


stantly, and see I” 

“ Ho ho I I’se go on de instum massr ; but fr all dat dis chile no speck 

find de young genl’ urn dar. Hoi hoi wha’ebber de olo boss am, dorr 
Massa Henry am too.” 

" There’s something strange in all this.” pursued the planter, ns Pluto 
shuffled out of the sala. “ Henry from home ; and at night too. Where 
can he have gone? I can’t think of any one he would be visiting at such un- 
seasonable hours I He must have been out all night, or very early, nccord- 
ing to the nigger’s account 1 At the Fort, I suppose, with those young 
fellows. Not at tho tavern, I hope?” 

"Oh, no I He wouldn’t go there,” interposed Calhoun, who appeared as 
much mystified b - the absence of Henry os was Poindexter himself. He re- 
frained, however, from suggesting any explanation, or saying aught of the 
scene to which ho had been witness on the preceding night. 

" It is to lie hoped he knows nothing of it,” reflected the young creola 
“ If not, it may still remain a secret between brother and myself. "I’ve 
gate ubaH night waiting for him. He must have overtaken Maurice, and 



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158 


THE HEADLEHB HORRKMAW. 


I 

; they have fraternized. I hope ho ; even thounrh tlie tavern inav have l)eeB 
, the Bcene of their reconciliation. Henry ie not much jfiven to dipsipation • 
; but after euch a burst of pas.«ion. followed by his sudden repentance he may 
^ have strayed from his usual habits ? Who could blame him if he has ? 
, There can be little harm in it : since he has (jone astray in <jood company ?” 

How far the string of reflections might have extended it is not easy to 
say : since it did not reach its natural ending. 

■ It was interrupted by the reappearence of Pluto ; whose important air as 
^ he re entered the room, proclaimed him the bearer of eventful tidings. 

tdl ! cried bis mastt^r, without waiting for him to speak **i8 he 
j there T ’ 

t No, Mass Woodley, replied the black, in a voice that betrayed a largo 
I measure of emotion, “ he are not dar— Massa Henry am not. But— but,” ho 
j li.-sitatingly continued, “dis child griob to say daf— dat— Aim Aom am 
I “ His horse there ! Not in his sleeping- room, I siijipose?” 

No, massa ; nor in de ’table neider ; but out da, by de big gate.” 

I ” His horse at the gate V And why. pray, do you grieve alxiut that ?” 
j “ Ecause, Mass’ Woodley, ’ccauso do boss— dat am Massa Henry boss— 
'ecause do anymal ” 

j “Speak out, you stammering nigger! What because ? I suppose the 
horse has his head u|K)n him V Or is it his tail that is missing?” 

I ‘-Ah, Mass’ Woodley, dis nigga fear dat am missin’ wuss dan eider him 
, head or him tail. Pze feer’d dat de olo boss hab lose him rider I” 

’ “ What ! Henry thrown from his horse ? Nonsense, Pluto ! My eon is too 

, good a rider for that. Impossible that he should have been pitched out of 
' the saddle — imi^ossiblo !” 

I “Ho 1 ho I I doan say he w.>r thrown out ob de saddle. Oorramitty ! I 
fear de trouble wuss dan dat. O ! dear ole Massa, I tell you no mo. Come 
to de gate ob de hashashanty, and see for you.seff.” 

^ By this time the impression conveyed by Pluto’s speech — much more by 
his manners — notwithstanding its ambiguity, had become sufficiently 
1 alarming; and not only tho planter himself, hut his daughter and nephew, 
j hastily forsaking their seats, and preceded by the sable coachman, made 
I their way to the outside' g.atc of the hacienda. 

A sight was there awaiting them, calculated to inspire all three with the 
j most terrible apprehensions. 

; A negro man — one of the field slaves of the plantation— stood holding the 

liorse, that was saddled and bridled. The animal wet with the dews of the 
1 J'.ight. and having Iteen evidently uncared lor in any stable, was snorting 
1 and stnmj>ing the ground, ns if but lately escaped from some scene of excite- 
ment, in which had been compelled to take part. 

■ Ho was sj'eckled with a color darker than that of the de w-drops— darker 
than his own coat of bay-brown. Tho spots scattered over his shoulders — 

' the streaks that ran parallel with the downward direction of his limbs, the 
blotches showing conspicuously on the snddle-flaps.were all of the color of 
coagulated blood. Bloo<l had caused them — spots, streaks, and blotches! 

I Whence came that horse? 

i From the prairies. The negro had caught him, on the outside plain, as 
with the bridle trailing among his feet, he was instinctively straying to- 
; wards the hacienda. 


lUS USADLKS8 HOKSKUAJI. 


159 




To whom did he belong 7 

The question was not asked. All present know him to bo the horse of 
Henry Poindexter. 

Nor did any one .tsk whoso blood bedaubed the saddle-flaps. The thnn! 
individuals most interested could think only of that one, who stood to them 
in the triple relationship of sou, bn>ther and cousin. 

The dark red spots on which they were distractedly gazing had spurted 
from the veins of Henry Poindexter. They had no other thought. 


CHAPTER XXXVIII. 

THE AVENG Elis. 

Ha.stilt— perhaps too truly — construing tho sinister evidence, tho half- 
frantic father leaped into tho blootly saddle, and galloped direct for the 
Fort. 

Calhoun, upon his own horse, followed close after. 

The hue and cry soon spread abroad. Ra)>id riders carried it up and 
down the r.ver, to the remotest jdantations of the settlement. 

The Indians were out, and near at hand, reaping their harvest of scalps 1 
That oi young Poindexter was the first fruits of their sanguinary 
gleaning! , 

Henry Poindexter — the noble, generous youth who had not an enemy in 
all Texas! Who but Indians could have spilled such innocent blood? 
Only the Comanches could have been so cruel? i 

Among tho horsemen, who came quickly together on the parade ground | 
of Fort Inge, no one doubted that the Comanches hod done the deed. It 
was simi>ly a question of how, when, and where. 

Tho blood-drops pretty clearly proclaimed the first. He who had shed 
them must have been shot, or sptiared, w'hile sitting in his saddle. They j 

were mostly on the off-side ; where they presented an apjiearanco, as if j 

something had been slaked over them. This was seen both on the shoul- 
ders of the horse, and the flap of the saddle. Of course it wa.s tho body of 
the rider as it slipped lifeless to ihe i arth. 

There were some who spoke with etjual certainty as to tho time— old 
frontiersmen experienced in such matters. 

According to them tho blood was scarce “ten hours old:” in other words, 
must have been shed about ten hours before. 

It was now noon. The murder must have been committed at two o’clock 
in tho morning. 

The third query was, perhaps, the most important — at least now that tho 
deed was done. 

Where had it been done ? Where was tho body to be found ? 

After that, where should the assassins be sought for ? 

These were the questions discussed by the mixed council of settlers and 
soldiers, hastily assenibled at Fort Inge, and presided over by tho 
commandant of the Fort — the afflicted father standing speechless by 
his side. ' 







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L*. 



THE HEADLESS HOUSEMAK. 


! ICO 

i 

■ The liist was of special importance. There arc thirty-two points in the 
i compass of the prairies, as well as in that which guides the ocean wanderer ; 

• and, therefore, in any exiH-dition going in search of a war-party of Co- 
•] manches, there would be thirty-two chances to one against it’s taking the 

1 right track. * 

, It mattered not that the home of these nomadic savages was m the W est. 
j T'hai was a wide word ; and signified anywhere within a semicircle of some 

i hundreds of miles. • i * j . 

, R-sides, the Indians were now upon the warjrail; and, in an isolaten se^ 
tlement such as that of the Leona, as likely to make their appearance ^m 
j the east. More likely, indeed, since such is a common strategic tnck of 

! astute warriors. , 

j To have ridden forth at random would have been sheer folly ; with such 
odds against going the right way, as thirty-two to one. 

I A pniiiosal to separate the command into several jiarties, and proved in 
1 different directions, met with little favor from any one. It was directly 

J negativ(Kl by the major himself. . . r 

t The murderers might 1 ki a thousand, the avengers were but the tenth of 
that numla'r: consisting of some fifty dragoons who chanced to be in gar- 
i risen, with about as many mounted civilians. The party must l>e kept 
I together, or rtm the risk of being attacked, and perhaps cut off, in 

argument was deemed conclusive. Even the bereaved father— and 
' cousin, who apjH'ared equally the victim of a voiceless grief— consented t® 

I shape their course according to the counsels of tlie more prudent majority, 

< backed by the authority of the major himself. 

I It was decided that the searchers should proceed in a body. 

. In what direction? This still remained the subject of discussion. 

The thoughtful captain of infantry now became a conspicuous figure by 
sug'^esting that some inquiry should be made, as to what direction had 
been last taken by the man who was supposed to be murdered. Who last 
I saw Henry Poindexter? 

i His father and cousin were first appealed to. 

I The former had last seen his son at the supper-table ; and supposed him 

I to have gone thence to his bed. , 

j The answer of Calhoun was less direct, and, perhaps, less satisfactory 
i He had conversed with his cousin at a later hour, and had bidden him good 
night, under the impression that he was retiring to his room. 

Why was Calhoun concealing what had really occurred? yhy md he 
! refrain from giving a narration of that garden scene to which he had been 

i a witness? . , v i, j -us i* 

i Was it, that he feared humiliation by disclosing the part he had himsell 

j ^ Whatever was the reason, the truth was shunned ; and an answer 
j given, the sincerity of which was suspected by more than one who listened 

> ^T^e evasiveness might have been more apparent, had there been any 
, reason for suspicion, or had the bystande rs been alloweel longer time 

to reflect upon it. . , . 

J While the inquiry was going on, light came in from a quarter nitnerto 

i 

1 


THE HEADLESS HOR6EMAH, 


161 r 


mnthought of. The landlord of the Rough and Ready, who had come un ’ 
'called to the council, after forcing bis way through tlie crowd, proclaimed ' 
himself willing to communicate some facts worth their hearing — in short, the I 
very facts they were endeavouring to find out ; when Henry Poindexter ! 
had Im n last seen, and what the direction he had taken. | 

Oberdoffer’s testimon;> delivered in a si'nii-Teutonic tongue, was to the 
effect : that Maurice the Mustanger— who liad been staying at his hotel 
ever since his light with Captain Calhoun — had that night riddin out at a 
late lour, as he liad done for several nights before. 

He had returned to the hotel at a still later hour ; and finding it op«‘n — 
on account of a party of hont rimnts who had supped there — had done thrt 
which he had not done for a long time before — demanded his bill, and to 
Old Doffer's astonishunmt — as the latter naively confessed — settled every 
cent of it 1 

Where he had procured the money “CJott” only knew, or why he left 
the hotel in such a hurry. Oberdoffer himself only knew that he had Uft. 
it, and taken all his * trapsh ’ along with him — just as he was in ihe habit 
of doing, whenever ho went off upon one of his horse-catching exjxditions. 

On one of these the village Boniface supposed him to liave gone. 

What had all tliis to do with the question Lefore the council? Much in- 
deed ; though it did not appear till the last moment of his examination, 
when the witness revealed the more pertinent facts : that about twenty 
minutes after the mustanger had taken his departure from the hotel, “ Hen- 
rich Poindexter” knocked at the door, and inquired after Mr. Maurice Ger- 
ald ; — that on being told the latter was gone, as also tlie time, and probable 
direction he had taken, the "young gentlemans” rode off at a quick pace, as 
if with the intention of overtaking him. 

This was all Mr. Oberdoffer knew of the matter ; and all ho could be ex- 
pected to tell. 

The intelligence, though containing several points but ill under8too<l, 
was nevertheless a guide to the exjyeditionary party. It furnished a sort of 
clue to the direction they ougiit to take. If the missing man had gone off 
with Maurice the mustanger, or after him, he should be looked for on the 
road the latter himself would be likely to have taken. 

Did any one know where the horse-hunter had his home ? 

No one could state the exact locality ; though there were several who be- 
lieved it was somewhere among the head-waters of the Nueces, on » cn ek 
•ailed the “ Alamo.” 

To the Alamo, then, did they determine upon proceeding in qu<*8t of the 
missing man, or his dead botly — perhaps, also, to find that of Maurice the 
mustanger ; and, at tho same time, avenge upon the savage assassins two 
murders instead of one. 


CHAPTER XXXIX. 

THE POOL OF BLOOD. 

NoTwmiSTANDtNO its number — larger than usual for a p«Hty of borderem 
merely in search of a strayed neighbour — the expedition pursued its way 
with considerable caution. 





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102 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


Tliepi wa-s rcaf«)n. The Indians wore ui)on the war-trail. 

Scouts v,'crc sent out in advance; and I'rotessed “trackers ” employed t« 
pick uj), end interpret the '* sij^n.” 

On the praine, extondinpr nearly ten miles to the westward of the Loona, 
no trail was discovered. The turf, hard and dry, only showed the tracks of 
a horse when fjoin^r in a ^jallop. S’one such were seen along the route. 

At ton miles’ distance from the Fort the plain is traversed by a tract of 
chapparal. running north-west and south-east. It is a true Texan jungle, 
lac 'd by llianas, and almost imi)enctrahle for man and horse. 

Through this Jungle, directly o])jw)sito the Fort, there is an opening, 
through which pa-sses a path — the shortest tliat leads to the head waters of 
the Nueces. It is a sort of natural avenue among the trees that stand 
closely crowde<i on each side, but refrain from meeting. It may bo arti- 
ilcial ; some old “ war trail ’’ of the Comanches, erst trodden by their ex- 
peditionary parties on the maraud to Tamaulipas, Coahuila, or new Leon. 

The truckers knew that it conducted to the Alamo ; and, thendore, guided 
the expedition into it. 

Shortly after entering among tho trees, one of the latter, who had gone 
nfcK)t in tho advance, was seen standing by the edge of tho thicket, as if 
wailing to announce some recently disc.overed fact. 

“ What is it demandtHl the major, spurring ahead of tho others, and 
riding up to tho tracker. “ Sign ?’’ 

" Aye, that there is, major , and plenty of it. Look there 1 In that bit 

of sofiish ground you see ’’ 

“ The tracks of a horse.” 

“ Of two horses, major,” said tho man, correcting tho officer with an air 
of deference. 

“ True. There are two.” 

“Farther on they become four; although they’re all made by the same 
two horses. They have gone up this openin’ a bit, and come l»ack again.” 
“ Well, Spangler, my go(Kl fellow ; what do you make of it t" 

“Not much,” rej)lie.l Spjingler, who was one of the paid scouts of tho 
cantonment ; “not much of tAal ; I hav’n’t been far enough up the openin’ 
to make out what it moAns — only far enough to know that a man Aa* bem 
murdered." 

“ What jtroof have you of what you say? Is there a dead body T” 

“ No. Not as much as tho little finger ; not even a hair of tho head, so 
fur as I can see.” 

“ What then ?” ' ■ 

“ Blooil, a regular pool of it — enough to have cleared out the carcass of a 
Dull buffiilo. Como and see for yourself. But,” continued the scout in a 
muttered undertone, “ if you wish mo to follow up the sign as it ought 
to be done, you’ll order the others to stay back — ’specially them as are now 
nearest you.” 

This observation appeare<l to be more particularly pointed at the planter 
and his nephew ; as the tracker, on making it, glanced fui“.ively towards 
both. 

" By all means,” replied the major. “ Yes, Spangler, you shall have 
every facility for your work. Gentlemen I may I request you to remain 
where you are At a few minutes. My tracker, here, has to go throuirh a 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN, 


103 


performance that requires him to have the ground to himself, lie can only 
take me along with him. 

Of course the m.ajor’s request was a command, courteously conveyed to 
men who won^ nf>t exactly his subordinates. It was olx-yed, however, just 
as if they had la-en ; and one and all kept their jdaces, while tho oUiccr 
following his scout, rode away fnuii tho ground. 

Alxmt fifiy yards further on, Spangler c.ame to a stand. 

“ Y<ju see that, major 'V' said ho i)ointing to tho ground. 

“I should Ihj blind if I didn’t” replied tho olllcer. “ A ]>ool of blood — r.i 
you say, big enough to havo emptied tiio veins of a bulllilo. If it conies 
from tho,so of a man, I should say that whoe-ver shed it is no longer in tho 
land of tho living.” 

“Dadl” pronounced tho tracker. “Dead before that blood had turned 
purple — as it is now.” 

“ Whose do yon think it is, Spangler?” 

“ That of tho man we’ro in search of — the son of the old gentleman down 
there. That’s why I di In’t wish him to come forward.” 

“ lie may as well know tho worst. lie must find it out in timo.” 

“ True what you say, major ; but wo had Isdler first find out how tho 
young fellow has como to bo thrown in his tracks. That’s what is piu- 
Ebng mo.” 

“How ! by tho Indians, of course? Tho Comanches havo done it?” 

“ Not a bit of it,” rejoined the scout, with an air of confidence. 

“ Hu I Why do you say that, Spangler ?” 

“Because, you see, if the Indyins had a been hero, there would lie forty 
horse-tracks instead of four, and them made by only two horses.” 

“ There a truth in that. It isn’t likely a single Comanche would havo 
had tho daring, even to assassinate ” 

No Comanche, major, no Indy in of any kind cominitterl this inunler. 
There arc two horse-tr.icks along the opening. As you see, IkiiIi an^ sIkkI ; 
they’re the same that have como back again. Comanches don’t ri«le shoil 
horses, except when they’ve stolen them. Both these wero ridden by white 
men. One set of the tracks has been made by a mu.stang, though it was a 
big 'un. The other is the hoof of an American hor.-«:. Goin’ west the mn.s- 
tang was foremost ; you can tell that by the overlap. Coinin’ back tho 
States horse was in tho lead, tho other followin’ him ; though its hard to 
say how fur behind. I may Ik; able to jell IsittiT, if we keep on to tho place 
whar Ixith must have turned back. It can’t Ik: a gn*at ways off.” 

“ Is‘t us procet'ii thither, then,” said tho major. " I shall command tho 
jieople to stay where they are.” " 

Having issueil the command, in a voice loud enough to bo hennl by his 
followers, the major rode away from tho blooil-stained sjmt, pnicetled by tho 
tracker. 

For about four hundred yards further on, the two sets of tracks were 
tr.iceable ; but by tho eye of the major, only where the turf was softer under 
Ine shadow of the trees. So far — tho scout said the horses had passed and 
returned in the order already declareil by him : — that is, tho mustang in 
the lead wliile proceeding westward, and in the rear while going in tho 
opposite direction. 


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TIIK IIEADLESB HORSEMAN. 


/G4 


At this point the trail ondinl — Ijoth liorsos, as was already known, having 
returned on their own trucks. 

Before taking the back track, however, they had lialttHl, and stayed soms 
time in the same j)lace — under ilie hranclu.-s of a 8i)readiug cottonwood. 
The turf, much trampled around tlio trunk of the tree, was evidence 
of this. 

The tracker got off his horse to examine it ; and, stooping to the earth 
carefully scrutinized the sign. 

“They’ve been here thegithcr,” said he, after several minutes sj>ent in 
his analysis, “and for some time ; though neither’s been out of the saddle. 
They’ve been on friendly terms, tOo ; which makes it all the moie unex- 
plainable. They must have quarrelled afterwards” 

“ If you are speaking the truth. Spangles, you must be a witch. IBav 
on earth can you know all tjiat V” 

“ By the sign, major; by the sign. It’s simple enough. I see the shws 
of l>oth horses la]>ping over each other a score ot times; and in such a way 
that shows they must have been thegithcr — the animals, it might be, rest- 
less and movin’ about. As for the time, they’ve taken long enough to 
?m'>ke a cigar apiece — close to the teeth too. Here are the stumps; not 
rnough left to till a fellow’s pipe.’’ 

The tracker, stooping ns ho spoke, picked up a brace of cigar stumps, aad 
handed them to the major. 

“ By the same token,’’ he continued, “ I conclude that the two horsemen 
whoever they were while under this tree could not have had any veiy hos- 
tile feelins, the one to the tot her. Men don’t smoke in company with the 
design of cutting each other’s throats, or blowing out sno another’s brains, 
tiie instant afterwards. The trouble between them must have come on alter 
the cigars were smoked out. That it diil come there can be no doubt. As 
sure, major, as your sittin’ in your saddle, one of them has wiped out the 
other, i can only guess w'hich has been wiped out, by the errand we’re on. 
Poor Mr. Poindextur will niver more see his son alive.” 

“ ’Tis very mysterious,” remarked the major. 

“ It is, by jingo !” 

“ And the l)odv, too ; where can it be?” 

“ That’s what perplexes me most ot all. If ’t had been Indyins, I wouldn’t 
a thought much o’ its la-ing missin’. They might have earned the man 
off wi them to make a target of liim, it only wounded ; and if dead, to eat 
him mayl>e. But there’s l>een no Indyins here — not a redskin. Take my 
word for it, major, one o’ the two men who rid these horses has wiped out 
the other ; and sartinly ho htivt wiixMl him out in the litterlest sense o’ the 
word. What he’s done wi’ the body beats me ; and perhaps only hisself 

can tell.’’ . , , . , 

“ Most strange!” exclaimed the major, pronouncing the words with em- 
phasis — “most mysterious!” ,, 

“ It’s possible we mav yet unravel some o' the mystery, pursued bpan- 
gler “ We must follow up the tracks of the horses, after they started 
Ironi this— that is, from where the deed was done. We may make some- 
' thing out of that. There’s nothing more to be learnt here. We ma/ a« 
well go back, major. Am I to tell him f 

" Mr. Poindexter, you mean ?” 


Tns HEADLESS IIORSE.MAN. 


105 

" Tes. You are convinced that his son is the man who has been mur- 
dered?” 

“ Oh, no ; not so much as that comes to. Only convinced that the horse tho 
old gentleman is now riding is one of the two that’s been over this ground 
last night — the States’ horse I feel sure. I have compared tho tracks , and 
if young Poindexter was tiio man who was on his back, I fear there’s not 
much chance for tho poor fellow. It looks ugly that tho other rid afttt 
him.” 

“ Spangler ! have you any suspicion as to who the other may be ?” 

“Not a spark, major. If’t hadn’t lieen for the tale of Old Duffer I’d 
never have thought of .Maurice tho mu.stanger. True, it’s the track o’ a 
shod mustang ; but I don’t know it to be hisn. Surely it can’t be T Tlic 
young Irishman aint tho man to stand nonsense fnuii noliody ; but as littio 
air ho tho one to do a deed like this — that is, if it’s been cold-blooded 
killin.” 

“ I think as you alxiut tliat.” 

“ An<l you think so, major. If young Poindexter’s been killed, and by 
M.iurice Gerald, there’s been a fair stand-up fight atwei'n them, and tho 
planter’s son has gone under. Thet’s how I shed reckon it up. As to the 
disappearance o’ the dead body — for them two quarts o’ blood could only 
have come out o’ a body that's now dead — that trees me. Wo must follow 
the trail, howsoever; and mayl)o it’ll fetch us to some sensible conclooeion. 
Am I to tell the old gentleman what I think o’t ?” 

“ Perhaps better not. He knows enough already. It will at least fall 
lighter ujKm him if he find things out by piecemeal. Say nothing of what 
we’ve seen. If you can take up the trail of the two horses after going off 
from the jjlace where the. olood is, I shall manage to bring the command 
after you witliout any one suspecting wliat we’ve seen.” 

“ All right, major, ' ;iaia the scout, “ I think I can guess wliero the off 
trail goes. Give me ten minutes upon it, and then come on to my signal.” 

So saying the tracker rode b.ick to tho “ place of blood ;” and after what 
appeared a very cursory exami.iation, turned off into a lateral ope nin g in 
the chapparal. 

Within the promised time his shrill whistle announced that he was 
nearly a mile distant, and in a direction altogether different from the spot 
iliat had been profaned by some sanguinary scene. 

On hearing the signal, the commander of 'the expedition— who had in the 
meantime returned to his party— gave orders to advance ; while he himself 
witli Poindexter and tho other principal men, moved ahead, without his 
revealing to any one of his retinue the chapter of strange disdosuroe for 
winch he was mdebted to the “ instincts” of his tracker 


CHAPTER XL, 

THE MARKED BULLET. 

Biworb coming up with the scout, an incident occurred to vary the mo- 
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conducted liia command in a diaj^onal direction tlirougli the chapparal 
Ho liad done this to avoid jrivinj' unncciipsary ])n.in to the nniictcd lather; 
who would otherwise liave looked uixm the life bhxxl of his son, or at least 
what the major heliove(l to h<i so. The gory sjwt was shunned, and as th< 
discovery was not yet known to any other save the major liimself, and the 
tracker who had made it, the party moved on in iguoranco of the existence 
</f Hucli a dread sign. 

Tile path they were now pursuing was a mere cattle-iiath, scarce broad 
enough for tw’o to ride abreast. Her*' and then* were gheb's wliero it wide- 
ned out for a few yards, again running into the thorny ehajiparal. 

On entering one of these ghuh's, an animal sprang out ot the bashes, and 
bounded off over the sward. A beautiful creature it was, with its fulvous 
coat ocellated with rows of shining rfisettes ; its strong li’.ho limbs supisirt- 
ing a smooth cylindrical body, continued into a long tapering tail ; the 
verj' typo of agility ; a creature rare even in these remote solitudes — the 
jaguar. , 

Its very rarity rendered it tho more desirahle as an object to test the skill 
of tho marksman ; and notwithstanding the serious nature of the expedb 
tion, two of the party were tempted to discharge their rifles at the retreat- 
ing animal . . , \ • 

They were Cassius Calhoun, and a young plautof who was riding by hif 

side. . j . 1 j 

The jaguar dropped dead in its tracks: a bullet having entered its body, 
and traversed the sjune in a longitudinal direction. 

Which of tho two was entitled to the credit of tho successful shot? Cal- 
houn claimed it, and so did the young planter. , , , . 

The shots had IxH'n fired simultaneously, and only one of them had hit, 
“ I shall show you,” confidently asserted tho ex-otficer, dismounting lie- 
side the dead jaguar, and unshea’thing his knife. '' You see, gentlemen, 
the hall is still in the animal’s body ? If it’s mine, you’ll find my initials 

on it C. C. — with a crescent. 1 mould my bullets so tliat I can always tell 

when I’ve killed my game.” 

Tho swaggering air with which ho held up the leaden missile after ex- 
tracting it told that he had spoken the truth. A few of the more curious 
drew near and examined the bullet. Sure enough it was moulded as Cal- 
houn had declared, and the dispute ended in tho discomfiture of tho young 
planter. 

The party soon after came up with the tracker, waiting to conduct them 

along a fresh trail. , , , , m 

It was no longer a track made by two horses, with shod hooves, llio 
»urf showed only the hoof-marks of one ; and so indistinctly, that at times 
they were undiscemible to all eyes save those of the tracker himself. 

The trace carried them through the thicket, from glade to glade — after a 
circuitous march — bringing them back into the lane-like opening, at a 
point still further to the west. . , , # v 

Spangler — though far from being the most accomplished of his eallmg 

took it up ns fast as the people could ride after him. In his own mind 

lie had detennined tho character of the animal whose footmaiks ho was 
following. He knew it to be a mustang — the same that had stood undef 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


167 


the cottonwood whilst its rider was smoking a cigar — the same whose hoof 
mark ho had seen deeply indented in a sod saturated with human blood. 

T!io track of the States’ horse he had also followed for a short distance 

in tho interval, when he uas left alone. He saw that it would conduct 
him back to the jirairie though which they had passed ; and thence, in all 
likelihood, to tho settlement* on the Lc'ona. 

He had forsaken it to trace the footsteps of the shod mustang ; more 

likely to lead him to an exiilauation of that red mystery of murder jier- 

haps to the den of the as.-assin. 

Hitherto perplexed by the hoof prints of two horsi's alternately overlap- 
ping each other, ho was not less puzzled now, while scrutinizing the tracks 
of but one. 

They went not direct, as those of an animal urged onwards upon a 
journey ; but here and there zigzagging ; occasifinally turning upon them- 
selves in short curves; then forward for a stretch ; and then circling again, 
as it the mustang was not mounted, or its rider was asleep in the saildle ! 

Could these be the hoofi>rint8 of a horse with a man ujicn his back — an 
assassin skulking away from the scene of as.sassination, his conscience 
freshly excited by the crime? 

Spangler did not think so. Ho knew not what to think. lie was 
mystified more than ever. SSo conlessed he to tho major, when being 
questioned as to the character ot the trail. 

A spectacle that soon alterwards came under his eyes — simultaneously 
seen by every individual of the party — so far from solving the mystery, 
had the effect of rendering it-yet more inexplimble. 

More than this. W h.at had I'litherto been but an ambiguous affair — a sub- 
ject for guess and speculation — was suddenly tiansfoimcd into a lu.rror;of 
tha^ntense kind that can only spring from thoughts of the supernatural. 

No one could stiy that this feeling ot horror had arisen without reason. 

When a man is seen mounted on a horse’s back, seated firmly in tho 
saddle, with limbs astride in the stirrups, body erect, and hand holding the 
rein — in short, everytliing in air and attitude required of a rider ; when on 
closer scrutiny, it is rbservod : that there is something wanting to complete 
the idea of a perfo:t eviuestrian ; and, on still closer sciutiny, that this 
something is the had, it would lie strange if the sjiectacle did not startle 
tho Ix'holder, terrifying him to tho very core of his hiart. 

And this very sight came before their eyes ; causing them simultaneous 
ly to rein up, and with ns much suddenness, as if each had rashly ridden 
within less than his horse’s length of the brink of an abyss 1 

Tho sun was low' down, almost on a level with the sward. Facing west- 
ward, his disc was directly before them. His rays, glaring redly in their 
eyes, hindered them from having a very accurate view, towards the quarter 
of the west. Still could they see that strange shape above described — a 
horseman without a head ! 

Had only one of the party declared himself to have seen it, he would 
have been laughed at by his companions as a lunatic. Even two might 
Jiave heen stigmatized in a similar m.mner. 

Hut what everylxKly saw at the same time, could not be questioned ; and 
Only ho would havti been thought craz'd, who should have expressed io* 
•redulity about the presense of the abnormal phenomenon. 




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1G8 


THE USA.DLESS IlOKBEMAN. 


No one dicT Tho eyes of all were turned in the same direction, theii 
i^aze intently fixed on what was either a horseman without the head, oi 
iho best counterfeit tliat could have been contrived. 

Was it this*; If not, what was it V 

These interrof'atories passed simultaneously through the minds of all. 
.Vs no'ono could answer them, even to himself, no answer was vouchsafed. 
Soldiers and civilians sate silent in their saddles — each exi)ecting an ex- 
planation, which the other was unable to supply. _ 

There could bo beard only muiterings, expressive of surprise and terror. 

No one even offered a conjecture. i i c * 

The headless horseman, whether phantom or real when fimt seen, was 
almut entering the avenue-near tae debouchure of which he searcheis 
had arrived. Had he continued his course, he must have met them m the 
teeth— suiiiwsing their courage ’.o have been eiiual to the encounter. 

.\sit was, heLd halted at the same instant as themselves; and stood 
regarding thttm with a mistrust that iiiav have been mutual. 

There ^vas an interval of silence on both tlm 

stump might have been heard falling upon Ihe 

Strang apparition was most closely ecrutinize.i bj tliose vvho had the 
coura^; for the majority of the men sate shivering in their stirrups 

through sheer terror, incapable even ot thought . nf ne/>oiint\rnr for 

The few who dared face the mystery, with any 
it were batlled in their investigation by the glare of the sitting sun. 
They could only seo that there was a horse of largi^ size and uolile sha^, 
with a man upon his back. The figure of the 

mined, on account of the limbs being inserted into oieralls, while his ehoub 
ders were envelopinl in an ample cloak-like covering. pssen- 

What signified his sliai>e, so long as it wanted that 
tial to exisumce ? A man without a 

the saddle, in an attitude of ease and .rrace— with ^ 

heels— the bridle-rein held in one bond— the other where it should bo, rwt- 

ing lightly upon bis tiiigb! 

Great Uod! what could it mean? , , 

Was it a phantom V Surely it could not lie human ? nhantoms 

Tl,o, who vlowoh 11 woro no. .ho ,ucn « 'V ‘«r 

m-y w^o no. given 

“iluwhrifc'co ot the mos. incrclnlou. ““ " 

..rango-w nhsoluMy nnnn.on.l-»n. Uo M,ch »n ^.cM th^ Bon<Mt 

hearted of tho party was forced mentally to repeat tho wor . 

“ Is it a phantom t Surely it cannot be human . aonblo that of 


THE HEADLESS HOUSEMAN. 


1C» 


hand spr.'ud over his eyes to shade them from the dnzr.ling glare, wo* en 
deavouring to make. 

Notliing of colour could bo noted — neither tho garments of the man, nor 
tho hairy coat of the horse. Only the shajie could be traced, outlined in 
sable silhouette against tho gohlen background of tlie sky; and this in 
every change of attitude, whether fronting tlic siH-ctators, or turmxl stem 
towards tliem, was still the same — still tliat inexplicable phenomenon: a 
horseman without a head! 

Was it a plinntomY Sandy it could not be human ? 

“ 'Tis old Nick upon horseback!" cried a fearless frontiersman, who 
would scarce liave (juailcd to encounter Ids Satanic majesty even in that 
guise. “ By tho ’tarnal Almighty, it’s the devil himself 1" 

The boisterous laugh which succeeded the profane utterance of the reck- 
less speaker, while it only added to the awe of his loss courageous comrades, 
appeareil to produce an effect on tho headless horseman. Wheeling sud- 
denly round — his horse at the same time sending fc. th a scream that 
caused either the earth or tho atmosphere to tn-mble — ho commenced gal- 
loping away. 

Ho went direct towards tho sun ; and continued this course, until only by 
his motion could he be distinguished from one of those spots that have 

E uzzled the philosopher — at length altogether disappearing, as though ho 
ad ridden into the dazzling disc 1 


CHAPTER XLI. 

OUATRO CAVA LliE ROB. 

The party of searchers, under the command of the major, was not the only 
one that went forth from Fort Inge on that eventful morning. 

Nor was it the earliest to take saddle. Ijoiig laffore — in fact cl oao fol- 
lowing tho dawn of day — a mucli smaller party, consisting of only four 
horsemen, was s«?en setting out from the suburbs of tho village, and head- 
ing their horses in the direction of the Nueces. 

These could not be going in search of the dead body of Henry Poin- 
dexter. At that hour no one susjiected that the young man was dead, or 
even that he was missing. The riderless horse had not yet come in to tell 
the tale of woe. The settlement was still slumbering, unconscious that in- 
noc<mt hloml had lieen spilt. 

Though setting out from nearly the same point, and proceeding in a like 
direction, there was not the slightest similarity iHitwec-n the two parties of 
mounted men. Those earliest astart were all of pure IlH-rian Idood ; or 
this commingled ^vith Aztecan. In other w.>r<ls they were Mexicans. 

It require<l neither skill nor cUise scrutiny to disi’over this. A glance at 
themselves and their horses, their stylo of etjuitation. the slight muscular 
developement of their thighs and hiim — mon^ strikingly observable in their 
deep-tree aaddies — the uaily colored 8erap»-a shnmding their shoulders, the 
wid • velveieeu calzoneroe on their legs tlie big spurs on their boots, a'xl 


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170 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMA^T, 


> 

broad-brimmed sombreros on their lieads, declared them either Mexican^ 
or men who had adopted the Mexican costume. 

Tliat they were the former tlu-re was not a question. Tlie sallow hue, 
the point, eil Vandyke l)eanl, covering? the chin, sparsely — though not from 
any thinning by the shears — the black, close cropped chevclnre ; the regular 
facial outline, were all indisputable characteristics of the llispano-Moro 
Azt«‘can race, who now occupy the ancient territory of the Moctezumas. 

One of the four was a man of larger Iraine than any of his comi)anion8. 
Ue rode a better horse ; was more richly apparelled ; carried upon his per- 
Btm arms and equij)ments of a superior finish ; and was otherwise distin- 
guished, so as to leave no doubt about his being the leader of the martiUa. 

He was a man of between thirty and forty years of age ; nearer to the lat- 
ter than the former ; though a smooth, rounded cheek — furnished with a 
short and carefully trimmed whisker — gave him the appearance of being 
younger than he was. 

But for a cold animal eye, and a heaviness of feature that betrayed a ten- 
dency to behave with brutality — if not with positive cruelty— the individual 
in question might have been described as handsome. 

A well formed mouth, with twin rows of white teeth between the lips, 
even when these were exhibited in a smile, did not remove this unpleasant 
impression. It but reminded the beholder of the sardonic grin that may 
have 1 eon given by Satan, when, after the tem])fation had succeeded, he 
gazed contemptuousty back ujwn the mother of mankind. 

It was not his looks that had led to his having become known among his 
comrades by a peculiar nick-name ; that of an animal well known upon the 

plains of Texas. . v • 

His deeds and disposition had earned for him the unenviable soubriquet 

" El Coyote.” 

How came he to be crossing the prairie at this early hour of the morning 
apparently sober, and acting as the leader of others — when on the same 
morning, but a few hours before, he was seen drunk in his jacale so drunk 
as to be unconscious of having a visitor, or, at all events, incapable of giv- 
ing that visitor a civil reception ? 

The change of situation though sudden— and to some extent strange— 
is not so difficult of explanation. It will be understood after an accost 
has been given of his movements, from the time of Calhoun s leavung him, 
till the moment of meeting him in the saddle, in company with his three 

On riding away from his hut, Calhoun had loft the door ^ 
it, ajar ; and in tffis way did it remain until the morning El Coyote all the 

time continuing his sonorous slumber. , . i • 

At daybreak he was aroused by the raw air that came drifting over him 
in the shape of a chilly fog. This to some extent sobered him ; and, spring- 
ing up from his skin-covered tnmk, ho commenced staggenng over the 
floor— all the while uttering anathemas against the cold, and the door lor 

lotting it in. , 

It might be expected that ho would have shut too the latter on the in- 
stant ; but he did not. It was the only aperture, excepting wime holes 
arising from dilapidation, by which light was admitted into the intenor ol 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


171 


the jacale; and light ho wanted, to enable him to carry out the design ihai 
had suuununed him to his feet. 

The grey dawn, just commencing to creep through the open doorway 
scarce sufficed for his purjioso ; and it was only after a g«xxi while sjKUit 
in groping about, mtt!rs|H.?r8cd wdth a series of stumblings, and accompanied 
by a string of profane exclamations, that he succeeded in finding that he was 
searching for : a largo two-headed gounl with a strap around its middle 
ns d as a canteen for carrying water, or more frequently mrzcal. 

The odour escajiing from its uncorked end told that it had ri'cently con- 
tain <1 this potent spirit. ; but, that it was now empty, was announcetl by 
another profane tjaculation that came from the lips of its owner, as he made 
the discovery. 

“ Sangre de Christo !” he cried, in an accent of angry disappointment, 
giving the gourd a shako to assure himself of its emptiness. “ Not a drop — 
not enough to drown a chiga ! And my tongue sticking to my t«‘eth. My 
throat feels as if I had bolted a brazero of red-hot charcoal. Por Dios I I 
can t stand it. What's to be done ? Daylight ? It is. I must up to the 
pueblUa. It’s possible that Senor DofTer may have his trap open by this lime 
to catch the early birds, it so, he’ll find a customer in tho Coyote. Ha. 
lia, ha 1” 

Slinging tho gourd strap around his neck, and thrusting his head through 
the slit of his sorape, he set forth for the village. 

The tavern was but a few hundred yards from his hut, on the same side of 
the river, and approf.chablo by a path, that he could have traveled with his 
eyes under “ tapojos.” In twenty minutes after, he was staggering past tho 
sign-post of the “ Rough and Ready.” 

He chanced to bo iu luck. Oberdoffer was in the bar-room, serving some 
early customers — a parly of soldiers who had stolen out of quarters to 
swallow their morning dram. 

‘‘ Mein Gott, Mishter Dees 1” said the landlord, saluting the newly 
arrived guest, and without ceremony forsaking six credit customers, for one 
that he knew to ha cash. “Mein Gott I is it you I sees so early ash tir If 
I knowsh vat you vant. You vant your pig coord fill mit zo Mexicim 
spirits — ag — ag — vat you i»ll it ?” 

“ Aguardiente \ You’ve guessed it, cavallcro. That’s just what I want.” 

“ A tollar— von tollar ish the price.” 

“ Carrambo ! I've paid it often enough to know that. Here’s the coin, 
and there’s the canteen. Fill, and bo quick about it I” 

“ Ila ! you ish in a huny, mein herr. Fel — I von’t keeps you waitin ; 
I suppose you ish off for the wild horsh prairish. If there’s anything goot 
among tho droves, I’m afeart that the Irishmans will pick it up before you. 
He went off laslii night. He left my housh at a late hour — after midnight 
it wash — a very late hour, to go a shourney ! ..Jlut he’s a queer cushtomer 
is that mushtanger. Mister Maurish Sherralt. Nobody knows his wavs. 
I shouldn t Say anythings againsht him. He hash been a goot cushto- 
mer to me. He has paid his bill like a rich man, and he hash plenty pe- 
side. .Mein Gott! His pockets wash cramm mit tollars !” 

On hearing that the Irishman had gone off to the “ horsh prairish,” as 
Oberdoffer termed them, the Mexican by his demeanour betrayed more 
than an ordinary interest in the announcement. 




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172 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMA!?. 


It proclaimed first by a slight start of surprise, and then by an im 
paUcu^eot manner that co^itiuued to mark his movements, wlulo listen- 

anything of this to be observed. In- 
Hua.1 oniueslioiiiiig his informant upon the subject thus ^‘arted oluii- 
larily displaying any Jro'ar.*'Vanty^^ 

pllinsino\iinrghx"’emph,^^ to all the horse-catchers in Texas. 

'‘'f. “'3‘ ,"v:- 

goMil), tl.o aer.i.M WimifuTO “uo’.lollur 

out osuaju.^ X; ■■">'■"> '»* "> 

in exchange, c ,r,;oi>io Itocause drinking upon the score 

„th;:„tSr£ "n- U..t to, 

like himself— not till then. the hrst time tracks of a shod 

,n?io has l>een hero m the ni,., • ma errand. He has heard 

I ihought I had ’ ivrhaiis^lio will repeat his visit, when ho 

„f non Mauricio s ‘^'^Parture. 1 x J ^^1^ ^ ^1^^ 

thinks Im in a proper state to re . ^ j ,^„y further instructions 

Tlio thing’s all What a splendid 

jx“„uo'rt»js-S ““ “» 

enough to swallow a e Then havin'’’ caught and caparisoned his 

:;;;i,“buS ?:t.tu.o h,.^ jx 

S“w'!'u2h"roo‘’l.irh°p ho opruot' i»t» ''>» "'i'"'!-. 

“'’‘ •'‘y- 1.1 . lieforo making his appearance on the open 

Tiie short interval that , villace— waiting for the three horse- 

plain, was sjicnt in the su mr Ix’cn forewarned of their being 

S'TE -ilLdiu.o™, in Bom. nocrot exploit that requiroil .h«r 

assistance. . nmieareiltobavc been madeacriuaint- 

, „':i'tr;irpl\,ri n! :;^7:isr :.»» «r ..... , xp.,... ,» 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


173 


on the Alamo. When a short disianceout iiiKin the plain, seeing Diaz strike 
off in a diagonal direction, they called out to warn him, that he was pot 
gokig the right way. 

“ I know the Alamo well,” said one of them, himself a mustan^er. “ I’ve 
hunted horses there many a time. It s southwest from here. The nearest, 
w.ay to it is thiough an ojicning in the chaitparal you see out yonder. You 
are heading too much to tue west, Don Miguel !” 

“ indeed !” contemiituously retorted the leader of the ciiarlilla. "You’re a 
ffrinyu, Si-nor V^icente Barajo ! Yon forget the errand we’re ujion ; and that 
we are riding shod horses V Indians don’t go out from Fort Inge and then 
direct to the Alamo to do — no matter what. I sup|X)so you understand me ?” 

“Oh true!” answered Senor Vicente Barajo, “ I beg your pariion, Don 
Miguel. (Jtirrambo! I did not think of that.” 

And without further protest, the three coadjutors of El Coyote fell into his 
tracks, and followed him in silence — scarce another word passing between 
him and them, till they had struck the chaj.paral, at a point several mihe 
above the opening of which Barajo had made mention. 

Once under cover of the thicket, the four men dismounted ; and after tying 
their horses to the trees, commenced a performance that could only be com- 
pared to a scene in the gentlemen’s dressing-roi.m of a suburban theatre, 
preliminary to the representation of some savage and sanguinary drama. 


CHAPTER XLII. 

•VTJLTDRES ON THE WING. 

Hb who has travelled across the plains of Southern Texas cannot fail to have 
witnessed a spectacle of common occurrence — a flood of black vultures upon 
the wing. 

An hundred or more in the flock, swooping in circles, or wide spiral 
gyrations — now descending almost to touch the prairie sward, or the sjiray 
of the chapparal — anon soaring upward by a power in which the wing 
bears no part — their {K.inted pinions sharply cutting against the clear sky 
— they constitute a picture of rare interest, one truly characteristic of a 
tropical clime. 

The traveller who sees it for the first time will not fail to rein uji his 
horse, and sit iu his saddle, viewing it with feelings of curious^ interest. 
Even he who is accustomed to the spectacle will not pass on without in- 
dulging in a certain train of thought which it is calculatiMl to call forth. 

1 here is a tale told by the assemblage of base birds. On the ground be- 
neath them, whether seen by the traveller or not, is stretched some stricken 
creature — quadruped, or it may be man — dead, or it may be dyinff^ 

******* 

On the morning that succeeded that sombre night, when the three 
solitary horsemen made the crossing of the plain, a spectacle similar to 
that described might have been witnessi'd al>ove the chapparal into w hich 
they had ridden. A flock of black vultures, of both species, was dispoDing 
above the tops of the trees, n.-ar the point where the avenue angled. 


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At daybreak not one could have been seen. In less than an hoar after, 
hundreds were hovering above the spot, on widespread wings, then 
shadows sailing darkly over the green spray of the cliappural. 

A Texan traveller entering the avenue, and observing the ominous assetn 
blage, would at once have concluded, that there was death upon bis track. 

Going farther, he would have found confirmatory evidence, in a pool of 
blood trampled by the hooves of horses. 

Not exactly over this were the vultures engaged in their acricl evolu- 
tions. Tlio centre of their swooptngs appeared to be a point some d. stance 
off among the trees j and there, no doubt, would be discovered the quarry 
that had called them together. 

At that early hour there was no traveller — Texan, or stranger — to test 
the truth of the conjecture ; but, for all that, it was true. 

At a point in the chapparal, about a quarter of a mile from the blood- 
stained path, lay stretched upon the ground the object that was engaging 
the attention of the vultures. 

It was not carrion, nor yet a quadruped ; but a human being — a man I 

A young man, too, of noble lineaments and graceful shape — so far as 
could 1)0 seen under the cloak that shrouded his recumbent form— with a 
face fair to look upon, oven in death. 

Was he dead ? i t i- 

At first sight any one would have said so, and the black birds bcliovea 
it. His attitude and countenance seemed to proclaim it beyond question. 

He was lying upon his back, with face upturned to the sky no care 
being taken to shelter it from the sun. His limbs, too, were not in a 
natural posture ; but extended stiilly along the stony surface, as if he had 

lost t!ie power to control them. , • tt 

A colossal tree was near, a live oak, but it did not shadow him. He was 
outside the canopy of its frondage; and the sun’s beams, just beginning to 
jieuetrate the chapparal, were slanting down ujion his pale face— paler by re- 
flection from a white Panama hat that but partially shaded it. 

His featur -s did not seem set in death : and as Uttle was it like sleep. It 
had more the look of death than sleep. The eyes were but half dosed ; and 
the pupils could be seen glancing through the lashes, glassy and dilated. 

W as the man dead ? 

Beyond doubt, the black birds believed that ho was. 

But the black birds were only judging from appearances. Their wish was 
parent to the thought. They were mistaken. 

Whether it was the glint of the sun striking into his half-screened orbs, or 
nature becoming restored after a period of repose, the eyes of t e 
prostrate man were seen to open to their full extent, while a movement 
was perceptible throughout his whole frame. , . 

Soon after he raised himself a little ; and, resting upon his elbow, stared 

confusedly around him. . • , • - 

The vultures soared upward into the air, and for the time maintainea a 

“^Am^I d^ or living ?” muttered he to himself. " Dreaming, or awake 

Which is It f Where am I?” i 

The sunlight was blinding him. He couM see nothing, till he had shaded 

hia eyes with his hand ; then only indistinctly. 


TUB HBACLIS8 U0R6EMAV. 


175 


“ Trees above — around me ! Stones underneath I That I can tell by the 
aching of my bones. A ch:ipparal forest I How came I into iff” 

‘ Now I have it,” continued he, after a short spell of reflection. 

“ My head was dashed against a tree. There it is — the very limb that lifted 
me out of the saddle. My left leg pains mo. Ah! I remember; it came 
in contact with the trunk. By heavens, I believe it is broken !” 

As he said this, he made an cflbrt to raise himself into an erect attitude. 

It pn)ved a failure. His sinister limb would lend him no assistance: it waa 
swollen at tlie knee joint— either shattered or dislocated. | 

■' Where is the horse ? Gone off, of course. By this time in the stables j 
of Casa del C<»rvo. 1 need not care now. I could not mount him, if ho i 
V ere standing by my side. i 

“ The other,” lie added, after a pause. " Good heavens? what a siieitaclo I 
it was ! No wonder it scjvred the one I was riding ! 

” Wliat am I to do ? My leg may be broken. Ten chances to one — a 
hundred — a thousand — against any one coming this way ; at least till I’ve 
become food for those filthy birds. Ugh! the hideous brutes ; they stretch ■ 
out their beaks, as if already sure of making a meal upon mo ! 

‘ How long have I been lying here? The sun don’t seem very high. It 
was just daybreak, as I climbed into the saddle. I suppose I've been un- 
conscious about an hour. By my faith. I'm in a serious scrape? In all 
likelihood a broken limb — it feels broken — with no surginm to set it ; a , 
stony couch in the heart of a Texan chapparal — the thicket around me, | 
perhaps for miles — no chance to escape from it of myself — no hojKi of hu- 
man creatuio coming to help mo — wolves on the earth and vulture.s in tlio 
air! Great God I why did I mount without making sure of the rein? I 
may have ridden my last ride I” 

The countenance of the young man became clouded ; and the cloud grew 
darker, and deejier, as he continued to reflect ujion the perilous position in 
which a simple accident had placed him. 

Once more he essayed to rise to his feet, and succeeded ; only to find 
that he had but one leg on which he could rely ! It was no use standing 
upon it ; and ho lay down again. 

Two hours were passe I without any change in his situation; during 
which he had caused tht chapparal to ring with a loud hallooing. IIo 
only desisted from this, under the conviction : that there was no one at all 
likely to hear him. 

The shouting catiS' d thirst : or at all events hastened the advent of this 
appetite — surely coming on as the concomitant of the injuries ho had re- 
ceived. 

The sensation was soon experienced to such an extent that everything 
else — even the ])ain of his wounds — became of trifling consideration. 

“ It will kill me, if I stay here?” reflected the sufferer. " I must make 
an eflbrt to reach water. If I remember aright there’s a stream somewhere 
in this chapparal, and not such a great way off. I must get to it, if I have 
to crawl upon my hands and knees. Knees 1 and only one in a condition to 
Bupjiort me 1 There’s no help for it but tnr. The longer I stay here, the 
worse it will be. The sur. grows hotter. It already bums into my braia 
I may lose my senses, and then — the wolves — the vultures " 

The horrid apprehension caused silence and shuddering. 



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THE HEADLESS llOltSEMAN. 


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AclU me. I, 1 fi»a 

liere. I bliall ir> Umt nirencth to micli it ! 

"■“(vJtf i‘>vM'%r„v'=i «a“ s hSrS 

'"’-j'’'"'"' 

by a blow ! , 

Lizara-like. bo continued bis cra« ^ apprcbension from wbicb 

a ;Lt-almost 

a c rtainty if bo did huccoed in findiiijf water. 

Siiuiulated by '*!iipo'lo mu and recruit bis eticnptb by 

A. .bon in.erval. ^ oom JM « I-we ^ 

?eS Sued" TocSoS~ oV .1,0 fou, membem c.n„o. be em. 

■’"r ;Se.: .bnv em. ir We. b - ^ 

diSn "tSrbuSrdS oi de» 0 , could have induced Uim lo bee,, 

on. * , /^f n rnile from tbe point of startinp, wben it 

He bad made about a locomotion inipbt be adopted-ono 

occ.iirred to bim tliat a b«,tt P of bis marcb. 

that would, at events vary tlic mon ^ 

• Perbaps,” said he ^ fortune for that! And there s 

onimVIpM si;--a bit of-l^ckjack. U wdU 

n.?"'iSn uo rs£u,i irbulc,; ; a « ,n .be «e 

‘"S'!’;™ ririurS., and CtUng tbo fork into hi. armpit, be proceeded with 

'‘‘’l,?kn “‘"e ncn^lty of keeping to one courn, ; and, a. be bad ebrnen 

the south-east, be entinued >" ^'®;i‘/‘^i7only comnnss; but this bad now 
It, was not so easy. latitude of ^utbern Texas, at that scawn 

reached tbe meridian, and. in tl zenith. Moreover, be bad the 

of tile year, the midday sun . constant detours to take advantnpe ol 

cbapparal to ,Vf -uide in tbe sloping of the ground ; lor be 

its oiienings. He bad a sort ^ stream, 

knew that downward 1"’ ,jn'one continued marcb, but by sbori 

Af,er pnicetHling about a n i^, cji„ie upon a track made by the 

Kt-KO-s with inierva.s o. rest betWte It was slight, but running m a 

wdd animals that <>; lK>int of pc-culiar consid-iraiion-m 
direct line— a proof that i , L,nd, or spring. 

ail bkelib(s.d a watering-pbce-stn nm^ _ y^Uhont longer Iwk 

•„ VZ. m U. "Xin, ”f tbu b-riund, be ndv.nced ninng ,b. trml- 


THE HEADLESS HOUSEMAN. 


17 ? 


MOW hobbling upon bis crutch, and at times, wben tired of this m«>de, drop, i 
ping down upon liis liands and crawling as before | 

The clieerful anticipations he had indulged in, on discovering tbo trail. | 
soon came to a teriaination. It became blind. In other words it ran out — f 
ending in a gla<le surrounded liy irnp'^rvious masst's of underwoorl. He i 
saw’, To bis dismay, that it led from the glade, instead of (oieards it. He 
had been following it the wrong way! 

IJnplt^asant -as was tlie alternative, there was no other than to return 
upon Ills track. To stay in the glade wouhl have be*'n to die there. 

Ho rtit raced the trodden path— going on beyond the point where ho bail 
first struck it. 

Nothing but the torture of thirst could have endowi'd bim with strengtli t 
or spirit to proceed. And tliis was every moment becoming more uu- ; 
endurable. 

The trees through which ho was making w.ay were mostly acacias, inter- 
sperseil with cactus and wild agave. They nfiforded scarce nr.y shelter from 
the sun, that now in mid heaven glared down through their gos.samer fo- 
liage with the fervour of fire itself. 

Tlie iwrspiration ooziug tlirougb every pore of bis skin, increased tbe 
temlency to tlirist — until tbo appetite lx?caine an agony! 

Within reacli of Ills liar.d wero tbe glutinous legumes of tbo mezquitex, 
filled witli mellifluous moisture. Tbo agaves and cactus plants, if tapfa d 
would liave oxu led an ahundatico of juice. Tbo former v.'as too sweet, tbo 
latter km) acrid to tempt bim. 

Ho was acquainted with tbe character of both. He knew that, instead of 
allaying his thirst, tliey wouhl only have added to its intensity. 

Ho pa.s8ed the deptinding potis, without plucking them. Hb paised the 
Bucculeiit St dks. without tapping them. 

I’o augment Ids anguish, lie now discovered that the wounded limb wjis, 
every moment, becoming more unnianagi-able. It had swollen to enormous 
dimensions. Every step caused bim a spasm of pain. Even if going in 
tbe direction of the doubtful streamlet, be might never suoctied ic reaching 
it V If not, there was no hope for bim. lie could but lie down in tbo 
♦bicket, and die ! 

Death would not be immediate. Although suffering acute pain in bis 
bead, neitlier tbo shock it bad received, nor tbe damage done to bis knee, 
wore like to prove speedily fatal. He might dread a more painful way of 
dying tlian from wounds. Thirst would be his destroyf/r— of all shapes of 
death pcrbiips tlio most agonizing. 

The thought stimulated bim tw renewed efforts ; and despite the slow 
progress be was able to make — despite the pain experienced in making 
it — be tolled on. 

The black birds liovering alwve, kept pace with his halting step and 
laborious crawl. Now more than a mile from tbe point of their first segro- 
;'ation, they were all of them still there — their numbars even augmented 
by fresh detachments that bad become warned of the expected prey. 
Tliougli aware that the quarry still lived and moved, they saw that it was 
stricken. Instinct — perhaps rather exiierience — told them it mus^ soou 
succumb. 



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THE HEADLESS llOKeEUAlT. 


’ 178 

Their shadows crossed and re-crossud the track upon which he advasoed 
— fill.np: him with ominous fears for the end. 

There was no noise: for those birds are silent in their flight — even when 
. excited hy the prospect of a repast. The hot sun had stilled the voices of 
the crickets and tree-toads. Even the hideous "horned frog” reclined 
listless along the earth, sheltering its tuberculated body under the stones. 

The only sound to disturb the solitude of the chapparal were those 
made by the sufferer himself — the swishing of his garments, us they brush- 
ed against the hirsute plants that beset tlie path ; and occasionally his 
cries, sent forth in the faint hope of their being heard. 

By this time, blood was mingling with the sweat upon his skin. The 
spines of the cactus, and the clawlike thorns of the agave, had been doing 
. their work ; and scarce an inch of the epidermis upon his face, hands, and 
limbs, that was not rent witli a laceration. 

He was near to the point of despondence — in real truth, ho had reached 
• it: for after a spell of shouting he had fluug himself prostrate along the 
i earth, despairingly indifferent about proceeding farther. 

! In all likeliho^ it was the attitude that saved him. Lying with his ear 
close to the surface, he heard a sound — so slight, that it would not have 
been otherwise discernible. 

Slight as it was, he could distinguish it, as the very sound for which his 
, senses wore sharpened. It was the murmur of moving water. 

With an ejaculation of joy, he sprang to his feet, as if nothing wore 
amiss ; and made direct towards the point whence proceeded the sound. 

Ho plied his improvised crutch with redoubled energy. Even the dis- 
abled leg appeared to sustain him. It was strength and the love of life, 
struggling against decrepitude and the fear of death. 

The former proved victorious ; and, in ten minutes after, he lay stretched 
] along the sward, on the banks of a crystal streamlet — wondering why the 
: want ol water could have caused him such indescribable agony ! 

I ... 


j CHAPTER XLIIL 

1 THB CUP AND THE JAR. 

■ Once more the mustanger’s hut ! Once more his henchman, astride of a 

• stool in the middle of the floor ! Once more his hound lying astretch upon 
the skin-covered hearth, with snout half buried in the cinders ! 

The relative positions of the man and the dog are essentially the same — 
i as when seen on a former occasion — their attitudes almost identical. Other- 
wise there is a change in the picture since last painted — a transformation 
at once striking and signifleant. 

' The horse-hide door, standing ajar, still hangs upon its hinges; and the 
smooth ooats of the wild stewls shine lustrously along the walls. The 

• slab table, too, is there, the trestle bedstead, the two stools, and the “ shake 
' down ” of the servitor. 

i But the othjr “ chattels ” wont to be displayed against the skin tapestry 

• are either out of sight, or displaced. The double gun has been removed 


THE HEADLESS HOKSCMAN. 


17ft 


from its rack ; the silver cup. hunting horn, and dog eall, are no longer 
suspended from their resj)ective pegs ; the saddle, bridles, ropes, and 
serapes are unslung ; and the books, ink, pens, and papeterie have entirely 
disappeared. 

At first sight it might bo supposed that Indians have paid a visit to the 
jacale, and pillaged it of M^penates. 

But no. Had this been tho case, Phelira would not be setting so uncon- 
(U'rncdly on the stool, with his carroty scalp still upon his head. 

Though tlie walls are stripped nothing has been carried away. The 
articles are still there, only with a c lange of place ; and the prestmeo of 
several corded packages, lying irregularly over tho floor — among which is y 
the leathern portmanteau — proclaims the purpose of the transposition. 

Though a clearing out has not been made, it is evident that one is 
intendoti. 

In the midst of tho general displacement, one piece of plenishing was 
still seen in its accustomed corner — the demijohn. It was seen by Plielim, 
oftener than any other article in the room: for no matter in what direction 
he might turn liis eyes, they were sure to come round again to that wicker- 
covered ves-^el that stood so temptingly in the angle. 

" Ach ! me jewel, it’s thee yez aro !” said he, apostrophizing the demi- 
john lor about tho twentieth time, " wid more tlian two quarts av the 
crayther inside yer bewtilutl belly, ai.d not doin’ ye a bit av good, nayther. 

If the tenth part av it was inside av me, it wiul be a moighty binnefit to 
mo intistines. Trath wud it that same. Wudn't it, TaraY” 

On hearing his name itronounced, the dog raised hie head and looked in- 
quiringly around, to see what was wanted of him. 

Pciceiving that his human companion was but talking to himself, he 
resuineil his attitude of repose. 

“ Faix ! I don’t want any answer to that, owld boy. It’s meself that 
knows it, widout tillin’. A hape av good a glass of that same potyeen 
wQuld do me ; and I darn’t touch a dhrap, afther Iwhat the masther sid to 
me about it. Afther all that packin’, too, till me throat is stickin’ to mo 
tongue, as if I had been thryin' to swallow a pitch plaster. Sowl ! it’e 
ashame av Masther Maurice to make me pmmise agaynst touchin’ the 
dhrink — espacially when it’s not goin’ to Iw wanted. Didn’t he say he 
wudn’t stay more than wan night • whin he come l)ack hceur ; an siiure ho 
won’t conshume two quarts in wan night — unless that owld sinner Stump 
comes along wid him. Bad luck to lus greedy gut ! he gets more av the 
Manongahayla than the masther himsilf. 

“ There’s wan consolashun, an’ thank the Lard for it, we’re goin’ back to 
tho owld $rid, an’ tho owld place at Ballyballagh. Won’t I have a skinful 
when I get thare — av the raal sUiff too, instid of this Amerikyan rotgut ! 
Hooch — hoop— horoo ! The thou /ht av it’s enough to sit a man mad wid 
deloight. Hooch — hoop — horooo !” 

Tossing his wide-wake up among the rafters, and catching it as it came 
down again, tho excited (Jalwegian several times repeated his ludicrous 
8lubl>oleth. Then becoming tranquil ho sat for awhile in silence — his 
thoughts dwelling with pleasunt anticipation on the joys that awaited him 
at Ballyballagh. 

They soon reverted to the objects around him — more cei>ecially to the 



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180 


TIIK 111SADLES3 HOUSEMAN. 


de/uijohn in tho corner. On this once more his eyes became fixed in a 
gaze, in which increa.sing covctou.sness was iimnilestlj visible. 

■■ Arruh, me jewel !" said lie, again apostropliizing the vessel, “ye’re ex- 
tramely bcwtilul to look at — that same ye arr. Share now, ycz wudn’t till 
upon mo, if I gave yez a thriflo av a kissV Ye wiulu't be the thraiter to 
boturay lUi}? VVau smack only. Thaie can l)e no harum in that. Trath, I 
don t think the raasther ’ud mind it — when ho thinks av the throuble I’ve 
had wid this packin’, an’ the dhry dust gettin’ down me throat. Share he 
didn t mano mo to kape that promise tor this time — which differs intirely 
from all the rest, by r.i/.o.i av our goin’ away. A dhry flittin’, they say, 
makes a short siltin’. I’ll tell the masther that, whin ho comes back ; an’ 
suur<‘ it II pacify him. Bo.soides, there's another ixcuse. lie’s all av tin, 
hours beyant his lime; an’ I’ll say I took a thriflin dhrap to kape me from 
ihiukin long for him. Share ho won't say a word about it. Be Sant 
Patlirick ! 1 il take a smell at the dimmyjan, an’ trust to good luck for the 
rist. Loy down, Tara I I'm not agoin’ out.’’ 

The staghound had risen, seeing the speaker step towards the door. 

But the dumb creature had misinterpreted the purpo.se — which was sim- 
ply to lake a survey of the path by which the jacale was approached, and 
make sure that his master was not likely to interrupt him in bis intended 
dealing with the demijolm. 

Becoming satisfied that tho coast was clear, ho glided back across the 
door; uncorked the jar ; and, raising it to his lips, swallowed something 
more than a “ thrillin’ dhrap, av its contints.’’ 

f hen putting it back in its plac-\ he returned to his seat on the stool. 

After remaining quiescent tor a consiileral)le time, he once more proceed- 
ed to soliloquise — now and then changing his speech to tho apostrophic 
form— Tara and the demijohn being tho individuals honoured by his dis- 
course. 

“In the name av all the angels, an’ the divils to boot, I wondher what’s 
kapin’ the masther! He sid ho wud l)e heour by eight av tho clock in tho 
inarnin’, ami it’s now good six in tho afthernoon, if thare’s any truth in a 
Tixas sun. Shure thare’s somethin’ detainin’ him? Don’t yez think so, 

Tnis time Tara did vouchsafe the atilrmative “ snift" — having jioked his 
nose too fur into tho ashes. 

“Be the jKtwers! then, I hope it’s no harum that’s befallen him I If 
t here has, owld dog, fwhat ’ud become av you an' me ? Thare might lie 
no Bullyballagh for miny a month to come ; unliss we cowld pay our pas- 
sage wid these thraps av the masthcr’s. The drinkin’ cup — raal silver it is 
—wud cover tho whole expinse av the voyage. Be japers I now that it 
stroikes me, I niver had a dhrink out av that party little vessel. I’m shure 
the litjuor must taste swaler that way. Does it, I wondher — truth, now’s 
just the time to thry.’’ 

Saying tliis, he took tho cup out of tho portmanteau, in which he had 
pack•.^l il ; and, once more un<-orking the demijohn, jioured out a portion of 
its contents — i>f a bout the measure of a wine-glassfull. 

Quaffing it oT at a .'iugo! gulp, ne stooil smacking his lips — as if to as- 
sure himmdf of t c qii.di y of th- liquor. 

“ tiowl I I don't k.iow iliui it t/o/s taste betther,” said he, still holding thy 




THE HEADLESS HOK8E.MAN. 181 

cup in one hand, and tlie jar in the other. “ .Aiflier all, I think, it's swater 
out av the dimmyjan itself. That is, us tar ns I cyan reiiiimlHjr. But it 
isn’t givin’ the gawblet fair play. It's so long since I had thejartome 
mouth, that I a’most fi^rget how it fn.oied that way. 1 cowld till better it 1 
thrved thim thegitlier. I'll do that, before 1 <lecoido.’’ 

The demijohn was row raised to his lips; and, after several “glucks” 
was again taken away. 

Then succeeded a second series of smacking, in true connois8<3ur fashion, 
with the liead lield retlectiugly steadfast. 

“ Trath! an’ I’m wrong agane!’’ said lie, accompanying tho nmiark with 
another doubtful sbuke of the i.eaii. “ Altegitlier asthny. It's swater 
from the silver. Or, is it only me imaginaysliiu tliat’s desiiviu’ me? li’s 
worth wliile to make shure, anti I can only do that by tastin’ unotber 
thrifle out av the cup. That wud be givin’ fair play to ImhIi av tiio vessels ; 
for I’ve dhnmk twice from the jar, an’ only wanst from the silver. Fair 
play’s a jewil all the world over : and there’s no raison why this l>ewtiful 
mug showldn’t be trated as dacently as that big basket av a jar. Be 
jajiers ! but it shall tlio’ !’’ 

The cup was aga n called into ri'tjuisition ; and once more a portion of 
the contents of the demijohn were t •.•.lusferred to it — to be j)ourcd irametii- 
ately after down the insatiable throat of the unsatisfied connoisseur. 

Whether he eventually decided in favor of the cu;', or whetlier he retain- 
tained his ])refereuco for the jar, is not knowm. AfUir the fourth jKitaiion, 
which wasals » tlie finiil one. he apia-ared to think ho had tasted suificient- 
ly for tlie time, and laid boiii vessels aside. 

Instead of returning to his stool, however, a new idea came across his 
mind ; tvliich was to go forth from the hut, and sec whether there was 
any sign to indicate tho advent of his master. 

“ Come, Tara !’’ said he, striding towards the door. I^et us slip up to 
the bluff beyant, and take a look over the plain. If mastlier’s cornin’ at all, 
he should be in sight by this. Come along, ye owld dog ! Masther 
Maurice’ll think all tho betther av us, for bein’ a littlo unazy about his 
gettin’ back.” 

Taking tiie path through the wooded bottom — with the stag-hound close 
at his heels — the Galwegian ascendt-d the bluff, by one of its sloping ravines, 
and stopped uixm the edge of the upp«;r plateau. 

From this point he commanded a somewhat sterile plain ; that stretched 
away eastward, more than a mile, from tho spot where ho was stand- 
ing. 

The son was on his back, low down on tho horizon, but shining from a 
cloudless sky. There was nothing to interrupt his view. Here and there, 
a stray cactus plant or a solitary stem of tlie arborescent yucca, rais«!d its 
hirsute form al>ove the level of tho plain. Otherwise the surface was 
emooth ; and a coyote could not liavc crossiKl it without being seen. 

Beyond, in the fur distance, could be tmciHl tho darker outline of trees — 
where a track of clisppnral, or the wooded selvege of a stream stretched 
transversely across the 

The Galwegian bent his gaztf over the ground, in the direction in which 
he expected his master should appear ; and stood silently wntching for 
him. 



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TIIH IlliADLESS ItOItSEMAN. 


doluijolin in tho corner. On tliis once more hie eyes became fixed in a 
gaze, in wliich increasing covetousness was maiiilestly visible. 

*■ Arrah, me jewel I" said lie, again ajiostrophizing the ve8.sol, “ye’re ex- 
trumely bowtiful to look at — that same ye arr. Shure now, yez wudn’t till 
upon mo, it I gave yez a thrifle av a ki.ssV Ye vvudu't be the thraiter to 
beturay me? Wan smack only. Thure can be no harum in tliat. Trath, I 
don’t think the masther 'ud mind it — when he thinks av the throuble I've 
iiad wid this packin’, an’ the dhry du“t gettin’ down me tliroat. Shure he 
didn’t mane me to Rape that promise lor tliis time — which differs intirely 
from all tlu! rest, by razoa av our goin’ away. A dhry liittin’, they say, 
makes a short sittin’. i’ll tell the masther that, whin lie comes back ; an’’ 
shuro it'll ji.icify him. Besoides, there's another ixcuse. lie's all av tin. 
hours beyant his time; an’ i’ll say I look a thritiin dhrap to kape me from 
thiukin' long for him. Shurc ho won’t say a word about it. Be Sant 
Pathrick ! I’ll take a smell at the dimmyjan, an’ trust to good luck for the 

I rist. Loy down, Tara I I'm not agoin’ out.’’ 

} The staghound had risen, seeing the speaker step towards the door. 

I, But the dumb creature had misinterpreted the purpose — which was sim- 

I ply to take a survey of tho jiatli by which the jucale was approached, and 
make sure that his master was not likely to interrupt him in his intended 

I dealing with the demijohn. 

Becoming satisfied that the coast was clear, ho glided back across the 
floor ; uncorked the Jar ; and, raising it to his lips, swallowed something 
more than a “ thrillin’ dhrap, av its contints.’’ 

Then putting it back in its plac’>, he returned to his seat on the stool. 
After remaining quie.sc<'nt tor a considerable time, he once more proceed- 
ed to soliloquise — now and then changing liis speech to tho ap)ostrophic 
form — Tara and tho demijohn being the india'iduals honoured by his dis- 
course. 

“ In the name av all tho angels, an' the divils to boot, I wondher what’s 
kapin’ the masther! He sid ho wuii Ix! lieour by eight av the clock in tho 
marnin’, and it’s now good six in the afthernoon, if thare’s any truth in a 
Tixas sun. Shure thare’s somethin’ detainin’ him ? Don’t yez think so. 
Tara T 

Tnis time Tara did vouchsafe the affirmative “ sniff ’ — having jwked his 
nose too far into tlie ashes. 

“Be tho i>ower8! then, I hope it’s no harum that’s befallen himl If 
I here has, owld dog, fwhat ’ud become av you an’ me ? Thare might l)e 
no Bailybaliagh for miny a month to come ; unliss we cowld pay our pas- 
sage wid those thraps av the masther’s. The drinkin’ cup— raal silver it is 
— wild cover tho whole oxpinso av tho voyage. Be japers 1 now that it 
stroikes me, I niver had a dhrink out av that purty little vessel. I’m shure 
the liipior must taste swater that way. Does it, I wondher — truth, now’s 
just the time to thrv.” 

Saying this, ho took the cup out of tho portmanteau, in which he had 
packed it , and, ouci' more uncorking the demijohn, poured out a portion of 
its contents— of obout the measure of a wine-glassfull. 

Quaffing it oiT at a singli! gul|», iie sto<Kl snuicking his lips — as if to as- 
sure himseu of i e qii.ili y of tie? liquor. 

“ Sowl 1 I don't know that it does taste betther,’’ said he, still holding tho 


THE HEADLESS HOKSKVAN. 


181 


cup in one hand, and the jar in the other. “ .\fther all, I think, it’» swat«« 
out av the dimmyjan itself. That is, as tar ns I cyan renumber. But it 
isn’t givin’ the gawblet fair play. It’s so long since I had the jar to me 
mouth, that I a’most forget how it tasted that way. 1 cowld till better it I 
ihrved thim thegither. I’ll do that, before I decoide.” 

The demijohn vux »*iw.^raised to his lips; and, after several “glucks” 

was again taken away. . r i • ' 

Then succeeded a second series of smacking, in true connoisseur fashion, 
with the head held refiectingly steadfast. , • , 

“ Trath! an’ I'm wrong aganel” said he, accompanying tho reniark with 
another doubtful shake of tlio i ead. “ Altegither asthny. Its swater 
from the silver. Or, is it only me imaginayshin that’s desavin’ me’f It s 
worth while to make shure, and I can only d > that by ta.stin another , 

thrifle out av the cup. That wud be givin’ fair play to both av tiio vessel.s ; 1 

for I’ve dhrunk twice from the jar, an’ only wanst from the silver, hair t 

play’s a jewil all the world over ; and them’s no raison why this bowtitui f 

mug showldn’t be trated as dacently as that big basket av a jar. Be f 
iajiers ! but it shall tho’ !’’ . - I 

The cup was aga n called into requisition ; and once more a portion of | 
the contents of the demijohn were tr.insferred to it— to be jxiurod immedi- { 
atelv after down the insatiable throat of the unsatisfied connoisseur. ^ | 

Whether lie eventually decided in favor of the cup, or whether he retain- j 
tained his jircfereuce for the jar, is not known. After the fourth jxitaticii, j 
w'hich wasals > the final one, ho apiieared to think he had tasted sufficient- | 
ly for tho time, and laid Ixith vessels aside. | 

Instead of returning to his stool, however, a new idea came across his j 
mind ; which was to go forth from the hut, and see whether there was 
any sign to indicate the advent of his master. [ 

“ Come, Tara !’’ said he. striding towards the door. Let us slip up to ; 
the bluff' beyant, and take a look over the plain. If masther’s cornin’ at all, j 
he should be in sight by this. Come along, ye owld dog! Masther i 
Maurice’ll think all tho betther av us, for bein’ a little unazy about his [ 
gettin’ back.’’ | 

Taking the path through the wooded bottom— with the stag-hound close | 
at his I'.cels — the Galwegian ascendiKi the bluff', by one of its sloping ravines, ( 
and sfopp<‘d ujxm tho edge of the upper plateau. | 

From this point he commanded a somewhat sterile plain ; that stretched ^ 
away eastward, more than a mile, from tho spot where he was stand- ^ 

ioff- ... I 

Tho sun was on his back, low down on tho horizon, but shining from a j 
cloudless sky. There was nothing to interrupt his view. IIitc and them, j 
a stray cactus plant or a solitary stem of tho arborescent yucca, raised its 
hirsute form above the level of the plain. Otherwise the surface was ; 
smooth ; and a coyote could not have crossiHl it without being seen. j 

Beyond, in tho far distance, could be traced the darker outline of trees — f 
where a track of chapparal, or the wooded selvege of a stream stretched j 
transversely across the llano. 

The Galwegian lient his gaze over the ground, in the direction in which 
he expected his master should appear ; and stood silently vrotching fot 
him. 


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THS HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


182 

Ere long, his vigil was rewarded. A liorseman was seen coming out 
from among the trees upon the other side, and heading towards th« 
Alamo. • 

He was still more than a mile distant ; but, at this distance, the faithful 
servant could identify his master. The striped seraixs of brilliant hues — a 
true Navajo blanket, which Maurice was ac^us^juet^ to take with him 
when travelling — was not to be mistaken. It gleamed gaudily under the 
glare of the setting sun — the bands of the red, white, and blue, contrasting 
with the sombre tints of the sterile plain. 

PiiOlim on y wonderetl that his ma.sler should have it spread over hia 
shoulders on such a sultryevening, instead of folded up and strapped to the 
cantk* of his i<a Idle ! 

Trath, Tara ! it looks quare, doesn’t it? It’s hot enough to roast a 
.stake upon thi-se stones , and yit the mastlnsr don’t seem to think so. I 
hojM! lie Hasn’t caught a cowld from stayin’ in that close, crib at owld 
l>ufh-r’s tavern. It wasn’t fit for a pig to dwill in. Our own shanty’s a 
splindid i>arlor to it.” 

\ The speaker was for a time silent, watching the movements of the 
- jipproaci.ing horseman — by this time about half a mile distant, still draw- 

.Lg nearer. _ 

' When his voice was put forth again, it was in a tone altogether 
j changed. It was still that of surprise, with an approach towards merri- 
' inent” But it was mirth that doubted of the ludicrous; and seemed to 
I struggle under restraint. 

' “ Mother av Moses!” cried he. '‘What can the masther mane? Not 

* contbit with havin’ the blankyet upon his showldhers, be japers, he’s got it 

; over his h.ead ! , . , . i 

, *• He’s playin’ us a thrick, Tara. He wants to have a joke agaynst us I 

* " Sowl ! hut it’s quarc, anyhow. It looks as it he /♦('</ head.^ In faix 

; does it ! Ach ! what cayn it mane ? Be the llowley Virgin ! it s enough 
; to frighten wan av they didn’t know it was the masther ' , , , , 

1 “ /i u the masther ? Be the powers it’s too short for him I The head? 

"x S;,int Patrick presarve us, whare is it? t’ayn’t be smothered up in the 
] l)’.nnk}'ot? Tliare’s no eha]M5 tbcTo ! Bo Jaysus, tliare s sometijiD^ wrong! 

, What diK'S it mane, Tara?” 

Tiir ton<? of the sjieaker had again undergone a change. It was now 
i close bordering upon terror— as was also the expression of his counte- 

^ ""rlui look and attitude of the staghound were not very different. He 
. stoo.i a little in advance— half cowering, half inclined to spring forward— 
i with eyes glaring wdldly, while fixer! upon the approaching horseman— 
j now scarce two hundrerl yards from the spot! 

1 As Phelim put the question that terminated his last soliloquy, the liound 
1 gave out a lugubrious howl, that seemed intended for an answer, 
i Then a.s if urged by some canine instinct, he bounded on towards tne 
j strange’ object, which puzzled his human companion, and was etiually 

1 ^^^ushfng straight on, he gave utterance to a seri^ of shrill yelps ; far 
; different from the soft sonorous baying, with u hich he was accustomed to 
welcome the coming home of the mustanger. 


THK headless HOH^MAK. 


163 


If Phelim was surprised at what ho had already seen, he was still further ^ 
astonisherl by what now ajipeariHl to him. , . , , I 

As the dog drew near, still yelping as ho ran, the blood-bay — which the 
ex groom had long before identified as hia master’s horse — turned sharply f 
round, and commenced galloping back across the plain! j 

While |M!rtorming the wiieel, Phelim saw— or fancied he saw — that, i 
which not only astounded him, but caused the blood to run chill through j 
his veins, and his frame to tremble to the very tips of his tot'S. . . . [ 

It was a lu’ad — that of the man on horsi-back ; but, instead of lM:ingin its | 
jiroper plaCe, uixui his shoulders, it was held in the rider's hand, just behind L 

iho pommel of the saddle! ^ i i if 

As the horse turned side towanls him, Phelim saw, or fancietl ho saw, the 
— ghastly and covered with gore — half hidden behind the shaggy hair 

of the holster! . ' 

He .saw no more. In another instant his back was turned towards the j 
plain; and, in another, ho was rushing down the ravine, as fast as his ( 
enfeebled limbs would carry him I > 


CHAPTEU XLIV. I 

A QUARTETTE OF COMANCUBB. : 

With his flame-coloured curls bristling upward — almost raising the hat 
Irom his head — the Galwegian continued his retreat — jiausing not — scarce 
looking back, till ho hail re-entered the jacale, closed the skin door behind t 
him, and barricaded it with several large packages that lay near. : 

Even then ho did not feel sicure. What protection could there lie in a 
shill door, barred and bolted besides, against that which was not earthly? i 
And surely what he had seen was not of the earth— not of this world ! ' 
Who on earth had ever witnessed such a spi'Ctacle — a man mounUsl upon I 
horseback, and carrying his head in his hand V Who had ever heard of a ^ 
phciioinenon so unnatural ? (’ertainly not “ Pliaylim Gnale.” ^ j 

His horror still continuing, he rushed to and fro across the floor Oi the 1 
hut ; now dropping down ujxin the stool, anon risiii<^ up, and gliding to ' 
the door; but without daring either to open it, or look out through the 
chinks. 

At intervals he tore tlic hair out of his head, striking his clencheil hand 
against his temples, and roughly rubbing his eyes — as if to make sure that 
ho was not asleep, but had really seen the shaix- that was horrifying him. 

CMio tiling alone gave him a moiety of comfort ; though it was of the 
slightest. While retreating down the ravine, Ivfore his head had sunk l>o- 
I )w the level of the plain, he had given a glance backwanl. He had 
derived some gratification from that glance ; ns it showed the headless 
rider afar off on the prairie, and with his back turned toward the iUarao, \ 
going o I at a gallop. | 

But for the remembrance of this, the Galwegian might have l>een still ' 
more terrified — if that were possible — while striding back and forth upoa 1 
tha floor of taa .jacale. , 






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184 


THE UEADLES3 HORSEMAN. 




For a long time bo was speccblcss — not knowing wliat to say — and only 
living utterance to such exclamations as came mechanically to his lips. 

As the time passed, and he began to feel, not so much a return of confi- 
dence, as of the power of ratiocination, his tongue became restored to him ; 
and a cohtinuous fire of questions and exclamations succeeded. They were 
I all addressed to himself. Tara was no longer there, to take part in the con- 
I vcrsation. 

They were put, moreover, in a low whispered tone, ns if in fear that his * 
voice might be heard outside the jacale. 

“ Ochono ! Ochone I it cyan’t av been him I Sant Pathrick protict mo, 

I but fwhat was it thin ? 

I “Tharo was iverything av his — the horse — the sthriped blankyct — them 
I spotted wather guards upon his legs — an’ the head itself — all except the 
1 faytures. Thim I saw tix), but wasn’t shuro about eyedintifyeashiu ; for 
! *vho kud till a face all covered over wid ri<l blo<Ki ? 
j “ Aclrl it cudn’t be Masthcr Maurieo at all, at all I 

\ " It’s all a dhramc. I must have been aslape, an dhramin ? Or, was it 

: the whisky that did it ? 

1 “ Shuro, I wasn’t dhrunk enough for that. Two goes out av the little 

t cup, an’ two more from the <linimyjan — not over a kupple av naggins in all I 
, That wudn't n.ake mo dhrunk. I've taken twice that, widout Jis much as 
, thrippin in my spache. Truth have 1. Besoides, if I had been the worse 
for the liquor, why am I not so still? 

“Thare's not half an hour passed since I saw it; an’ I’m as sober as a 
judge ujxjn the binch av magistrates. 

“ Sowl ! a dhrap ’ud do mo a power av good just now. If I don’t take 

I wan, I'll not get a wink av slape. I’ll be shure to knpo awake all the 
night long thinkin’ about it. Ochone ! ochone ! what cyan it bo anyhow ? 
An’ whero cyan the masthcr be, if it wasn’t him ! Howly Sant Pathrick I 
■ look down an watch over a miserable sinner, that’s lift all alone be himsolf 
i wid nothin’ but ghosts an’ goblins around him !” 

After this appeal to the Catholic saint, the Connemara man addressed 
himself with a still more zealous devotion to the worship of a very difl’or 
ent divinity, known among the ancients as B-acchus. 

His suit in this quarter was i)erfectly successful ; for in less than an hour 
after he had entered on hisgenutlexionsat the shrine of the pagan god — re- 
presented by the demijohn of the Monongahela whisky — he was shrived of 
all his sufferings — if not his sins — and lay stretched along the floor of the 
jacale, not only oblivious of the spectacle that had so late terrified him to 
, the very centre of the soul, but utterly unconscious of his soul’s existence. 

********* 






There is no sound within the hut of Maurice the mustanger — not oven a 
. clock, to tell, by it’s continuous ticking, that the hours are passing into 
eternity, and that another midnight is mantling over the earth. 

There are sounds outside ; but only as usual. The rippling of th* 
stream close by, the whispering of the leaves, caused by the night wind, 
the chirrup of cicadas, the occtsional cry of some wi!d creature, are but 
the natural voices of the nocturnal forest. 



THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


Ibll 


Her 

the 


Midnight has arrived with a moon that assimilates it to morning, 
light illuminates the earth; here and there penetrating through 
shadowy trec'^, and flinging broad silvery lists between them. 

Passing through these alternations of light and shadow— apparently 
avoiding the tormer ps much as possible — goes a group of mounted 
men. 

Though few in number — as there art) only four of them — they are formid- 
able to look upon. The Vermillion glaring redly over their naked skins, 
the striped and 8])Otted tatooing uj)on their cheeks, the scarlet feather 
standing siitily upright al.ovo their heads, and the gleaming of weapons 
held in their hands, all la.'speak strength of a savage and dangerous 
kind. 

Whence come they ? 

They are in the war costume of Comanche. Their paint proclaims it. 
There is the skin fillet around the temples, with the eagle plumes stuck 
behind it. The bare breasts and arms ; the buckskin breech-ciouts — every- 
thing in the shape of sign by which these Ishmaelites of Texas may be 
recognized, when out u])on the maraud. 

’fhey must be Comanches : and, therefore, have come from the west. 

Whither go they ? 

This is a question more easily answered. They are closing in upon th« 
hut, where lies the unconscious inebriate. The jacale of Maurice Gerald is 
evidently the bun of tlieir expedition. 

That their intentions are hostile, is to bo inferred from the fact of their 
wearing the war costume. It is also apparent from their manner of making 
approach. Still further, by their dismounting at some distance f'om 
the hut, securing their horses in the underwood, and continuing their 
advance on foot. 

Their stealthy tread — taking care to plant the foot lightly upon the 
fallen leaves — the precaution to keep inside the shadow — the frequent 
pauses, sjH'nt in looking ahead and lisb-ning— the silent gestures with 
which tliese movements arc directed by him who appears to be the leader 
—all j)roclaim design, to reach the jacale unix'rceived by whoever may 
chance to be inside it. 

In this they are successful — so far as they m^^J V® appearances. 

They stand by the stockade walls, without anj given to show 

that they have been seen. 

The silence inside is complete, as that they are themselves obsenung. 
There is nothing heard — not so much ns the screech of a hearth cricket. 

And yet the hut is inhabited. But a man may get drunk wyond the 
power of speech, snoring, or even audible breathing ; and in this condition 
Is the tenant of the jacale. . , 

The four Comanches steal up to the door ; and in skulking attitudes 
scrutinize it. 

It is shut ; but there are chinks at the sides. 

To these the savages set their ears — all at the same time — and stand 
silently listening. 

No snoring, no breathing, no noise, of any kind I 

“ It is impossible,” says their chief to the follower nearest him — speaking 
in a whisper, but in good grammatical Castilian, “just possible ho has 


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185 


TUS HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


jot got lii)jao ; t lOugh by the time of his starting ho should have reachai 
hero loug before this, lie may have ridden out again V Now I reniemlxir ; 
tliere’s a horse-shed at the buck. If the man be inside tlio house, the 
beast shall be found in the sht^. Stay here, eatnarados, till 1 go round and 

BOO.” 

Six seconds suffice to examine the substitute for a stable. No horse in 

U. 

As many more are spent in scrutinizing the path that leads to it. No 
horse has been there — at least not lately. 

These {joints dotorminod, the chief returns to his followers — still standing 
by the doorway in frrjnt. 

“ Maldito ho exclaims, giving freer scope to his voice, “ he s not hero, 
nor has he been this day. ’ 

“ We had better go inside, and make sure ?” suggests one of the 
' common warriors, in Spanish fairly pronounced. “ There can be no harm 
in our seeing how the Irlaiidcs has housed himself out here ?” 

“Certainly not!” answer.-i a third, equally well versed in the language 
of Cervantes. “ Let’s have a look at his larder too. I'm hungry enough to 
; eat raw tasajo.” 

“ Por Dm!" adds the fourth and last of the quartette, in the same sonor- 
ous tongue. “ I’ve heard that he keeps a collar. If so——” 

, The chief does not wait for his follower to finish the hypothetical speech. 
) The thought of a cellar ap{)oars to produce a {jowerful effect upon him— 
: stimulating to immediate action. 

lie sets liis heel u{xjn the skin door, with the intention of pushing it 
open. 

It resists the effort. 

“ Oarramho ! it’s barred inside ! Done to ke^ out intruders in his ab- 
sence I Lions, tigers, bears, buffaloes — perhaps Indians. Ha 1 ha 1 ha ?” 

I Another kick is given with greater lorce. The door still - keeps its 
\ place. 

“ Barricaded with something — something heavy too. It won’t yield to 
, kicking. No matter. I’ll soon see what’s inside.” 

, The machete is drawn from its sheath ; and a largo hole cut through the 
' stretched skin, that covers the light framework of wood. 

Into this the Indian thrusts his arm ; and groping about, discovers the 
nature of the obstruction. 

The packages are soon displaced, and the door thrown opjcn. 

’ The savages enter, jjreceo led by a broad moonbeam, that lights them on 
. their way, and enables them to observe the condition of the interior, 
i A man lying in the middle of the floor 1 

“ Carajo!" 

j “ Is he asleep ?” 

j “He must be dead not to have heard us?” 

” Neither.” says the chief, after stooping to examine him, “ only dead 
I drunk — boracho — embria^ninln ! He’s the servitor of the Irlandes. 1 va 
seen this fellow before. Pr.un his manner one may safely conclude, that 
khis master is not at horn-', nor has b»!en lately. I hope the brute hasn t 
used up the cellar in getting him-self into this comfortable condition. Ahl 
-'k jar. And smelling like a rose ? Tuere's a rattle among those rod*. 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


187 


I 

1 


** There’s stuff inside. Thank the Lady Ouadaloupe for this I” 

A few seconds suffice for distributing what remains of the contents of 
the demijohn. There is enough to give each of the four a drink, with two 
to their chief; who, notwithstanding his high nink, has not the suiK^rior 
politeness to protest against this unequal distribution. In a trice the jar 
is empty I 

What next? 

The master of the house must come home, some time or other. An inter 
view with him is desired by the men, who have made a call upon him — 
particularly desired, as may be told by the unseasonable hour of their visit. 
The cliief is especially anxious to see him. 

What can four Comanche Indians want with Maurice the Mustangcr? 

Their talk discloses their intentions ; for among themselves they make no 
secret of their object in being there. 

They have eoine to murder him ! 

The chief is the instigator ; the others are only his instruments and 
assistants. 

The business is too important to permit of his trifling. He will gain a 
thousand dollars by the deed — besides a certain gratification independent of 
the money motive. His three braves w-ill earn a hundred each — a sum 
sufficient to tempt the cupidity of a Comanche, and purchase Lira fov any 
purpose. 

The travestie need not bo carried any further. By this time the mask 
must have fallen off. Our Comanches are mere Mexicans ; their chief, 
Miguel Diaz, the mustangor. 

“ We must lie in wait for him.” 

This is the counsel of El Coyote. 

“ He cannot bo much longer now, whatever may have detained him. 
You, Barajo, go up to the bluff, and and keep a look-out over {hn plain. 
The rest remain hero with me. He must come that way from the Leona. 
We can meet him at the bottom of the gorge under the cypress tree. ’Tis 
the best place for our purpose.” 

“ Had we not better silence him hints the bloodthirsty Barajo, pointing 
to the Galwegian— fortunately unconscious of w'bat is transpiring atound 
him. 

“ Dead men tell no tales !,” adds another of the conspirators, repeating the 
proverb in its original language. 

“ It would tell a worse tale were we to kill him,” rejoins Diaz. " Besides. 
It’s of no use. He’s silent enough as tt is, the droll devil, the do-*- 
have his day. I’ve only bargained for the life of his master. Como, 
Barajo 1 Fayate I vayate ! Up to the cliff. We can’t tell the monmnt 
Don Mauxicio may drop in upon us. A miscarriage must not be made. 
Wo may never have such a chance again. Take your stand at the top of 
the gorge. From that point you have a view of the whole plain. Ho 
cannot come near without your seeing him, in such a moonlight as this. 
As soon as you've set eyes on him, hasten down and let us know. Be sure 
you give us time to get under the cypress.” 

Barajo is proceeding to yield obedience to this chapter of instructions, 
but with evident reluctanc**. lie has, the night before, been in ill luck, 
having lost to El Coyote a large sum at the game of monte. He is desirous 


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188 


THE UEADLESa UOUSEMAK. 


of haying his revanche : for he well knows how his confrere* will spend tha 
time in his absonce. A 

“ Quick, Senor Vicente,” commands Diaz, observing liis dislike to 
the duty imix)sed upon him ; ' if wo fail in tliis business, you will lose 
more than you can gain at an albur of monte. Oo, man I” continues 
LI Coyote, in an encouraging way. “ If he come not within the hour 
some one will relievo you. Uo I” 

Barajo obeys, and stepping out of thojacale, proceeds to his post upon 
the top of the cliff. 

lighr^’^^^™ seat themselves inside the hut— having already established a 

Men of their class and calling generally go ])rovided with the means of 
time, or, at all events, liiuderin^r it from han^in^r on their hands. 

The slab table is between them, ujicn which is soon displayed, not their 
supper, but a puck of bpunish cards, which every Mexican vagabondo 
carries under his serape. 

Caraffoand eoto (queen and knave) arc laid face upward ; a monte table is 
established ; the cards are shuflled ; and the play jtroceeds. 

Absorbed in calculating the chances of the game, an hour passes without 
note being taken of the time. 

El Coyote is banker, and also croupier. 

1 ho^ cries ” Cwaffo en la puertn!" "Soto ntozo ("The queen in the 
gate !” " The knave winner ! ’) — at intervals announced inset phrase — echo 
from the skin covered walls. 

The silver dollars are raked along the rough table, their sharp clunk 
contrasting with the soft shulllc of the cards. 

Ail at once a more stentorous sound interrupts the play, causing a 
sensation of the game. 

It is the screech of the inebriate, who, awaking from his trance of 
intoxication, p<!rceives for the first time the queer company that share with 
him the shelter of thojacale. 

The players spring to iheir feet, and draw their machetes. Phelim 
stands a fair chance of being skewered on the three long Toledos. 

He is only saved by a contingency — another interruption that Las the 
efftKJt of staying the intent. 

Burajo appears in the doorway panting fe r breath. 

It is scarce necessary for him to announce his errand, though he contrive# 
to gasp,— 

II(! is coming — on the bluff already — at the head of the c<Jnrt<ia— quick, 
comrade.^, <|uick 1” 

The Galwegian is saved. There is scarce time to kill him— even were 
it worth while. 

But it is not — at least so think the masqueraders ; who leave him to 
resume his disturbed slumber, and rush forth to accomplish the more 
profitable assassination. 

In a score of seconds they are under the cliff, at the bottom of the 
eloping gorge by which it must bo descended. 

They take stand under the branches of a spreading cypress ; and await I 
the approach of their victim. 

They listen for tha ho<jfBtroke8 that should announce It. 


THE HEADLESS HOK8EMAK, 


isy 

These are soon heard. There is the clinking of a shod hoof— not in ^ 
regular strokes, but as if a horse was passing over an uneven surface. One 
is descen ling the slope ! 

He is not yet vi.sible to the eyes of the ambuscaders. Even the gorge is j 
in gloom — like the valley below, shadowed by tall trees. j 

Tliere is but one spot where the moon throws liglit upon the turf— a j 

narrow space out.side the sombre shadow that conceals the assassins 
Unf)rtunatuly this does not lie in the path of their intended victim, lie [ 
must pass under the canopy o: the cypress ! 

“ Don’t kill him !” matters Miguel Diaz to his men, speaking in au i 
earnest tone. “ There's no need lor that just yet. I want to have him j 

j^livo — f )r the matter ot au hour or so. I have my reasons. Lay hold ot | 

him and his horse. There can be no danger, as he will be laken by , 
surjirise, and unprepared. If there bo resistance, we must shoot him 
down ; but let me fire first.” I 

The confederates promised compliance. . . I 

They have soon an opportunity of proving the sincerity of their promise. 

He for whom they are waiting has accomplished the descent of the slope, 
and is passing under the shadow of the cypress. 

“ Abnjo las armas ! A tierra !" (“ Down with your weapons. To the 

ground!”) cries El Coyote, rushing forward and seizing the bridle, while 
the other three flung themselves upon the man who is seated in the 
saddle. 

There is no resistance, either by struggle or blow ; no blade drawn ; no 
shot discharged . not even a word sixiken in protest ! 

They see a man standing upright in the stirrups ; they lay their hands 
upon limbs that feel solid flesh and bone, and yet seem insensible to the 
touch. . 

The horse alone shows resistance. He rears upon his hind legs, makes 
ground backward, and draws his captors after him. I 

Ho carries them into the light, where the moon is shining outside the i 
shadow. I 

Merciful heaven ! what does it mean ? j. 

His captors let go their hold, and fall back with a simultaneous shout. ; 
It is a scream of wild terror ! 

Not another instant do they stay under the cypress ; but commence re- 
treating at top speed towards the thicket where their own steeds have 
been left tied. 

Mounting in mad haste, they ride rapidly away. 

They have seen that which lias already stricken terror into hearts more 
courageous than theirs — a horseinan tcitlwut a head / 


CHAPTER XLV 

ATUAILOOXEBIilND. 

Was it a phantom ? Surely it could not be human ? 

So questioned El Coyote and his terrified companions. So, too, had the 


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190 


THE UEADLE63 HORSEMAX. 


Beared Galwegian interrogated himself, until his mind, clouded by repeated 
appeals to tlie demijohn, became temp^irarily relieved of the terror. 

in a similar strain had run the thoughts of more than a hundred others, 
to whom the headless horseman had shown himself — the party of searchers 
w'ho accompanied tho major. 

It was at an earlier hour, and a point in the prairie five miles farther 
east, that to these tho weird figure had made itself manifest. 

IxKjking westward, with the sun-glare in their eyes, they had seen only 
its shape, and nothing more — at least nothing to connect it with Maurice 
ilie mustanger. 

Viewing it from tho west, with the sun at his back, the Galwegian had 
seen enough to make out a resemblance to his master — if not an absolute 
identification. 

Under the liglit of tho moon the four Mexicans, who know Maurice 
Gerald by sight, had arrived at a similar conclusion. 

If the im|)iession made uixin the servant was one of the wildest awe, 
tHjually had it stricken tbe conspirators. 

Tlio searchers, though le.ss frightened by tho strange phenomenon, were 
none tlio less puzzled to explain it. 

Up to tho in tant of its disaj)pearancc no explanation had been attempted 
— save that jocularly conveyed in the bizarre speech of the borderer. 

What do you make of it, gentlemen ? ’ said the major, addressing those 
that had clustered around him: “ 1 confess it mystifi(.*8 mo.” 

"An Indian trick V” suggested one. ” Some decoy to draw us into an 
ambuscade V’’ ^ 

” A most unlikely lure, then remarked another; “certafnly the last 
that would attract mo.” 

“ I don't think it’s Indian,” said tho major ; “ I don’t know what to 
think. What’s your opinion of it, Spangler ? ’ 

'Die tracker sliook his head, as it equally uncertain. 

“ Do you think it’s an Indian in disguise V” urged the officer, pressing 
him for an answer. 

“ 1 know no more than yourself, major,” replied he. “ It should be some- 
thin’ of that kind : for what else can it bo ? It must either be a man, or a 
dummy !’ 

“ That’s it — a dummy 1” cried several, evidently’ relieved by the 
hyjKitliesis. 

Wliatsomevcr it is — man, dummy, or devil,” said the frontiersman, 
wbo had already jironounced ui^on it, “ thar’s no reason why we should be 
frightened from followin’ its trail, lias ho left any, I wonder ?” 

“ If it has,” replied Spangler, “ we’ll soon sec. Ours goes the same way 
— so fur as cj\n be judged from here. Shall we move forr’ud, major?” 

r<y all means. VVo must not bo turned from our purpose by a trifle 
like tliat. Forward !” 

Tiio horsemen again advanced — some of them not without a show of 
reluctance. There were among them men, who, if left to themselves, 
would have tak»m the back track. Of this number was Calhoun, who, 
from the first moment of sighting the strange apparition, had shown sign* 
of afTright even beyond the re.-<t of hie companions. His eyes had sudden- 
ly assumed an unnatural glossiness; hie lips were white as ashes; while 


TUB HEADLESS IIOK8KMAX. 






I 

j 




his drooping jaw laid bare two rows of teeth, which ho appeared with 
difficulty to restrain from chattering ! 

But for the universal contusion, his wild manner might have been 
observed. So long as tho singular form was in sight, there were eyes only 
for it ; and when it had at length disapi^ar^, and tho party advanctHl 
along the trail, tho ex-captain hung back, riding unobserved among the 

rearmost. . . , , , , 

Tho tracker had guessed aright. Tho siwt upon which the ghostly 
shape had for the moment stood still, lay direct upon the tniil they were 
already taking up. _ 

But, as if to prove the apparition a spirit, on reaching the place there 
were no tracks to be seen I 

'The ex|)lanation, however, was altogether natural. Where tho horse 
had wheeled round, and t<ir miles beyond, the plain was thickly^.^trewn 
with white shingle. It was, in trapiier parlance, a ” chalk prairie.” The 
stones showed displacement ; and here and there an abnujion that appear- 
ed to have bi^cn made by the hoof of a horse. But th«‘se marks were 
scarce discernible, and only to the eyes of the skilled t nicker. 

It was the case with tho trail they had been taking up — that of the shod 
mustang ; and as the surface had lately been disturbed by a wild hertl, the 
particular hoof-marks could no longer bo distinguished. 

They might have gone further in tho direction taken by the headless 
rider. 'I'he sun would have been their guide, and after that the evening 
star. But it was the rider of the shod mustang they were desirous to 
overtake ; aud tlio half hour of daylight that followetl was sjumt in fruit- 
less search for his trail— gone blind among the shingle. 

Spangler proclaimed himself at fault, as tho sun disapiioared over tho 
horizon. 

They had no alternative but to ride back to tho chapparal, and bivouac 
among the bushes. 

The intention was to make a fresh trial for the recovery of tho trail, at 
the earliest hour of the morning. 

It was not fulfilled, at leas as regarded time. Tho trial was postponed 
by an unex|K!Cte<l circumstance. 

Scarce had they found camp, when a courier arrived, bringinir a despatch 
from the major. It was from the commanding officer of the district whoso 
head-quarters were at San Antonio de Bexar. It had been sent to Fort Inge, 
and thence forwarded. 

Tho major made known its tenor by ordering “Ixxits and saddles ’ to be 
sounded ; and before the sweat had become dry upon the horses, the dra- 
goons were once more upon their backs. 

Tho despatch had conveyed the intelligence, that tho Comanches were 
committing outrage, not upon the Leon.i, but fifty miles farther to tho east- 
ward, close to the town of San Antonio itself. 

It was no longer a mere rumor. Tho maraud hail commenced by the 
murder of men, wom'*n, and children, with firing of their houaes. 

The major was commanded to lose no time, but bring what troop* he 
could B^iare to the scone of operations. Hence his hurried decampment. 

Tho civilians might I avo stayed ; but friendship) — even jmrental affection 
—must yield to the necessities of nature. Most of them had set forth 



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A,.;*. ,.*A U*l>*.<*«|4 *» 4.*t4|y^*AA4 



TUE HEADLESS HORSEMAK. 


Without furtlier preparation than the saddlinpf of their horses and shoulder 
in^^ot their guns ; and hunger called them home. 

1 here was no intention to abandon the search. That was to be resumed 
as soon as they could change horses, and establish a better system of com- 
missariat. rhen would it bo continued— as one and all declared, to the 
“ bitter end.” 

A small party was left with fepangler to take up the trail of the American 
hor.se, which according to the tracker’s ioreca.-t, would lead back to the 
Licona. The rest returned along with the dragoons. 

Before parting with Poindexter and his friends, the major made known to 
them— what ho had hitherto kept back— the facts relating to the bloody 
sign, and the tracker’s interpretation of it. As ho was no longer to take 
part in the search, ho thought it better to communicate to those who should 
a circumstance so important. 

It pained him to direct suspicion ujion the young Irishman ; with whom 
in the way of his calling ho had held some ]>leasunt intercourse. But duty 
was paramount ; and, notwithstanding his disbelief in the mustanger’s 
guilt, or rather his belief in its improbability, ho could not help acknow- 
lodging that appearances were against him. 

With the planter and his party it was no longer a suspicion. Now that 
^e question of Indians was disposed of, men boldly proclaimed Maurice 
Gerald a murderer. 

That tho deed had been done no one thought of doubting. Oberdoffer’s 
story had furnished the first chapter of the evidence. Henry's horse return- 
ing with tho blood-stained saddle tho last. The intermediate links wore 
readily supplied— partly by tho interpretations of the tracker, and partly by 
conjecture. ' 

No one paused to investigate tho moiive — at least with any degree of 
closeness. The hostility of Gerald was accounted for by his quarrel with 
Calhoun; on the 8up|)osition that it might have extended to the 
whole family of tho Poindexters I 

It was very absurd reasoning ; but men ujion tho track of a supposed 
reason at all. They think only of d«*Hlroying him. 
yVith this thought did they separate ; intending to start afresh on tho 
fiillowing morning, throw themselves once more upon the trail of two men 
who Were missing, and follow it up, till one or both should be found— one 
or both, living or dead. 

* * * * * * # 

The party left with Spangler remained upon tho spot which the maicy 
had chosen os a camp ground. 

They wore in all less than a dozen. A larger number was deemed un- 
necessary. Comanches, in that quarter, were no longer to be looked for; 
nor was there any other danger that called for a strength of men. Two or 
three would have been sufficient for tho duty required of them. 

Nine or ten stayeil — some out of curiosiiy, others for the sake of com- 
panionship.^ They were chiefly young men — sons of planters and tho like. 
Calhoun was among them — the acknowledged chief of the party ; though 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


193 


Spangler acting ns guide, was tacitly understood to bo tho man to whom 
olx^dience should be given. 

Instead of going to sleep, after the others had ridden away, they gathered 
around a roaring lire, already kindled within the thicket glade. 

Among them was no stint for supper — either of eatables or drinkables. 
Tho many who had gone back — knowing they woulil not need them — had 
surrendered their haversacks, and tho " heel taps” of their canteens, to tho 
few who remained. There was liijuor enough to last liirough tho night — 
even if siient in continuous carousing. 

Despite their knowledge of this — rlespito tho cheerful crackling of logs, 
as they took their so ts around the fire — they were not in high spirits. 

One and all aiipeared to bo under some influence, that like a spell, pre- 
vented tiiem from enjoying a pleasure jaTliaps not surpassed upon earth. 

You may talk of the tranciuil joys of the domestic hearth. At times, 
upon the i)rairie, 1 have myseil thought of, and longed to return to them. 
But now, looking back u)K)n both, and calmly comparing them, one with 
the other, 1 cannot help exclaiming : 

“ Give mo the circle of the camjvfire, with half-a-dozen of my hunter 
comrades around it — once again give me that, and be welcome to the wealth 
I have accumulat(;d, and tho trivial honours I have gained — thrice wel- 
come to the care aud the toil that must still be exerted in retaining them." 

The sombre abstraction of their spirits was easily explained. The weird 
shape was fresh in their thoughts. They were still under tho influence of 
an undefmable awe. 

Account for the apparition ns they best could, and laugh at it — as they 
at intervals afliTUHl to do — they could not clear vheir minds of this unac- 
countable incubus, nor f»!el satisfied with any explanation that bad been 
ofl’ered. 

The guide Spangler partook of the general sentiment, ns did their leader 
Calhoun. 

The liitfxT appeared more nfl'ected by it than any of the party I Seated 
with nuK>dy brow, under tho shadow of the trees, at srjmo diatanert from tho 
firt*, he had not spoken a word siners tho <leparture of tho drHgof)ns. Nor 
did he seem dis|K)ae 1 t») join tho circle of thorn) who were busking in tho 
bla/.e ; but ke])t himself apart, as if not caring to come under the scrutiny 
of his com)ianions. 

Tlu)re was still tho same wild look in his eyes — tho same scared expres- 
sion u]K)n his features — that had shown itsolf Ireforo sunsot. 

" 1 .-ay, Cush Calhoun!’’ cried one of the young fellows by tho firo, who 
was iM'ginning to talk “ tall,” under the influcnco of the oft rei>eated pota- 
tions — " come up, old fellow, and join us in a drink ! Wo all resjntct your 
sorrow ; and will do what wt) can to get satisfaction, for you and yours. 
But a tnan musn’t always mope, as you’re doing. Come along hero, and 
take a ‘smile’ of the Monongahelal It’ll do you a power of good, I prom-- 
ise you.” 

Whether it was that ho wa.s pleased at the interpretation put upon his 
silent attitude — which the speech told him had been observed— or whether 
ho had become suddenly incline<l towanls a feeling of good fellowship. 
Calhoun accepted tho invitation ; and stepping up to tho fire, fell into ]in« 



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19-1 


THK HEADLESS HOUSEMAN. 


with the rest of the roystcrers. Before seating himself, he took a null at 
the jirofli red flask. 

From that moment tlie air changed, as if by enchantment. Instead of 
hhowing sombre, he became eminently hilarious— so much so as to cause 
surprise to more than one of the i>arty. The behaviour stM-ined odd for a 
man, whose cousin was supjwsed to have been murdered that very mom 
iug. ^ 

1 commencing in the character of an invited guest, he soon ex- 

liibitcd uinisflf an tlio host ot the occanion. After tlie olhera had emptied 
tneir respective flasks, he proved himself possessed of a supply that seemed 
inexhaustible. Canteen after canteen came forth from his cajiacious saddle- 
bags the legacy lelt by many departed friends, who had gone back with 
the major. 

I artaking of these at the invitation of their leader — encouraged by his 
example the young planter-" blootls" who encircled the camp fire, talked, 
sang, danced, roared, and even rolled around it, until tlie alcohol could no 
longer keep them awake. Then, yielding to exhausted nature, they sank 
back upon the sward, some perhaps to experience the dread slumlx'r of a 
first intoxication. 

The ex-oflicer of volunteers was the last of the number who laid himself 
along the grass. 

If the last to lie down, he was the first to get up. Scarce bad the 
carousal ceased — scarce had the sonorous breathing of his companions pro- 
claimed them aslceji — when he rose into an erect attitude, and with cautious 
steps stole out from among them. 

With like stealthy tread he kept on to the confines of the camp — to the 
spot where his horse stood " hitched” to a tree. 

Releasing the rein from its knot, and throwing it over the neck of the 
animal, he clambered into the saddle, and rode noiselessly away. 

In all these actions there was no evidence that he was intoxicated. On 
the conirary, they proclaimed a clear brain, bent upon some purjiose pre- 
viously determined. 

What could it be ? 

Urged by affection, was he going forth to trace the mystery of the mur- 
der, by fin(ling the body of the murdered man ? Did he wish to show his 
zejd by going alone? 

Some such design might have been interpreted from a series of speeches 
that fell cartdessly from his lips, as he rode through the chapparal- 

Thank Ood, there’s a clear moon, and six good hours before those 
youngsters will think of getting to their feet! I’ll have time to search 
every nook and corner of the thicket, for a couple of miles around the 
idace ; and if the body be there I cannot fiul to find it. But what could 
that thing have meant? If I’d been the only one to see it, I might have 
bi-lieVed myself mad. But they all saw it — every one of them. Almighty 
heavens ! what could it have been ?” 

The closing speech ended in an exclam ition of terrified surprise — elicited 
by a spectacle that at the moment pre8ente<l itself to the eyes of the ex- 
officer— causing him to rein up his horse, as if some dread danger was be- 
fore liim. 

Coming in by a side path, he had arrived on the edge of the opening 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


195 


. I I Tie was iust turning into it, when he saw, that he was 

noribVonfy h.Lman, whi at that late hour hour was traversing tUo | 

"’‘’iTtlnl to all appearance as well mounted us himself, was approaching 

l?:’‘,:;;d ’^ife 2tZLr:i;<mrtlmXe‘rv:tiou.- Though quickb' 

*1 u' was complete. The whit - moon beams, s'.lvermg his should, tv, 

H irom no face, above or between them ! It could la; no i u 

STof the imiou’s light. Calhoun had seen that same shai>e under the 

glare of the ^ n^jssing head, gastly and gory, half shr ud.id 

lb) t-aw nio e ^ More still he n'coguized the hor.-e— Uie strijied 

hind of the rider— the water guards ui>m bis log.s— the 

sera]).) upon tiio « . of .Maurice the mustang r ! 

complete caparison all t these details At a siand iu the emlxmchuro 

Ho had ample ume to lake . nis horse apjs.-ar- 

of the side 1^- \rembling in its tracks, the animal made no effort 
ed to shar.. the feeling. . . jidpr pulled up iu front, and, with a 

.bo r,ighu,ucd 

parly. hlnod bav had given utterance to a wild “ whighcr ” 

;;;r>eT i^^o heUrnue ^ continue his interrupted trot-only then that 
Sun ^clme\ufficiena^ released from the spell of horror to find 

*^“^rtod of heaven I” he cried, in a quivering voice, “ what caw it mean ? 
Isit man! or demon, that m^ks mo? Has this whole day been a dream? 

^'’fhe 8^^ coherent sjieech was succeeded by action, instantaneous but 
determined. Whatever the puriwse of his exploration, it was evidentl. 
Sandone l- for, turning his horse with a wrench upon the rein, he r^ h 
back by the way he had come-ouly at a far faster imce.-pau>ing not till 

«erj?»?.'oXX'or tbc firo, he lay dee e among the ^nm. 
sent forth from hi* sunken eyes. 


CHAPTER XLVI. 

A BECKET CONFIDED. i 

The first dawn of day witnessed an unusual stir in and around the j 

hacienda of men-anne<l, though not in the regular 

fa^ir t;Jy ^i^d roi^h'unUng rifles, having a calibre of sixty to the 







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THE HEADLESS HORSEMAV. 


19t) 


oound; doubli, -barrelled ebot jjuns ; siiigle-barndled pistols; revolvers; 
iniv*s \vi;ii loa^ blades ; an 1 ev(‘n tomahawks! 

In t,ii(!ir Varied a’tire of red tlauncl shirts, coats of coloured blanket, and 
" Kentucky jeans,” trowsers ol brown “ liomespun,” and blue “ cottenade,” 
hats of udt and caps of skin, tall boots of tuuned heather, and lopirinjfs of 
buck — these stalwart men furnished a faithful picture of an assemblage, 
such as may be often seeu in the fronti(!r settlements of Texas. 

Despite tiie bizarreric of their appearance, and the fact of their carrying 
weaisms, their was nothing either to ]>roclaim their object in thus coming 
tog*!iher. Had it been fijr the most j)acilic purjKwe, they would have been 
armed and apjiarelled just the same. 

But their object is known. 

A numlier of men so met, had Itecn out on the day before, along with the 
dragoons. Others had now joined the assemblage — settlers who lived 
father away, and hunters who liad been from home. 

The muster on this morning was greater than on the preceding day — 
even exceeding the strength of the searching party when 8uj)plomented by 
the soldiers. 

Though all were civilians, there was one j)ortion of the assembled crowd 
, that could boast of an organization. Irregular it may be deemed, notwith- 
.standing the name by which its members were distinguished. These wore 
the “ llegulators.” 

i There was nothing di.stinctivo almut them, cither in their dress, arras, or 
' equipments. A stranger would not have known a liegulator from any other 
individual. They knew one another. 

Their talk was of murder — of the murder of Henry Poindexter— coupled 
with the name of Maurice the mustanger. 

Another subject was discussed of a somewhat cogn ite character. Those 
who iiad seen it, wMTc telling those w .o had not — of t'le strange spectacle 
that had apiM*ared to them the evening l)efore on the prairie. 

' Some were at first incredulous, and treated the tiling ns a joke. But 
the wholesale testimony — and the serious manner in which it was given — 

' could not long Ih) resisted ; and the existence of the headless horseman 
' became a universal belief. 

Of course there was an attempt to account for the o<ld phenomenon, and 
many forms of explanation were suggested. The only one, that seemed to 
, give etA-n tin; semblance of satisfaction, was that already set forward by 
. the frontiersman — that the horse was real enough, but the rider wa.s a 
counterfeit. 

i For what purivise such a trick should be contrived, or who should be its' 
' contriver, no one pretemled to explain. 

I For the business that had brought them together, there was but little 
time wasted in ])n*paration. All were prejiared already. 

Their horsn's were outside — some of them held in hand by the servants of 
the establishment, but most •' hitched ” to whatever would hold them. 

, T ey had come warned of their work, and only waited for Woodley 
' Poindexter— on this occasion their chief — to give the signal for setting 
forth. 

He only waited in the hope of procuring a guide ; one who could oon- 






% 



1 


THE HEADLESS HOKSE.MaX. 


duet them to the Alamo— who could take them to the domicile of Maurice i 
the mustanger. 1 

There was no such person present. Planters, merchants, shopkeepers, 
lawyers, hunters, horse and slave dealers, were all alike ignorant oi the 
Alamo. j 

There was but one man belonging to the settlement suppo-ed to \mi ■ 
ca’pablo of iierforming the requiretl seivice — old Zeb Stump. But Zeb i 
<• tuld not bo found. He was absent on one of his stalking expeditions ; | 
and the mesengers sent to sununon iiim were returning, one after another, 
to announce a bootless errand. 

There was a tcoman, in the hacienda itself, who could have guided j 
the searchers upon their track — to the hearthstone of the supposed ; 
as.'a.ssin. i 

Woodley Poindexter knew it not ; and iierhaps well for him it was so. | 
Had the proud planter suspected that in the person of his own child, there | 
was a guide who could have conducted liim to the lone hut on the Alamo, j 
his sorrow for a lost son would have been stifled by anguish for an erring ' 
daughter. ' 

The last messenger sent in search of Stump came l ack to the hacienda , 
without him. Thirst for vengeance could bo no longer stayetl, and the J 
avengers went forth. | 

They were scarcely out of sight of Casa del Corvo, when the two ' 
individuals, who could have done them such signal service, became j 

engaged in convers ition within the walls of the hacienda itself. 

There was nothing clandestine in the meeting, nothing designed. It 
was conting-mey, Zeb Stump having just come in from his stalking excursion, 
br.nging to the hacienda a portion of the “ plunder ” — as he was wont to 
term it — procured by his unerring rifle. 

Of course to Zeb Stump, Louise Poindexter w’.as at home. She was even 
eager for the interview — so eager, as to have kept almost a continual watch 
along the river road, all the day before, and from the rising to the setting | 
of the sun. 

Her vigil, rcsuiaed on the departure of the noisy crowd, w’cs soon after 
rewarded by the sight of the hunter, mounted on his old mare — the latter 
laden with the spoils of the chase — slowly moving along the road on j 
tiie opposite side of the river, and manifestly making for the hacienda. 

.\ glad sight to her — that rude, but grand shape of colossal manhood. 
She recognized in it the form of a true friend — one to whose keeping she ; 
could safely entrust her most secret confidence. And she had .now such a 
secret to confide to him ; that for a night and a day had been painfully 
pent up witldn lier bosom. 

Long before Zeb had set foot upon the flagged pavement of the patio, she 
had gone out into the verandah to receive him. y 

The air of smiling nonchalance with which he approached, proclaimwl/ 
him still ignorant of the event which had cast its melancholy shadow over\^ 
the house. Tliere was just perceptible the slightest expression of surprise, 
at finding the outer gate shut, chained, and barred. 

It had not been the custom of the hacienda — at least during its present 
proprietary. 

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tho ea^uan, strenjftlienod Zeb’s surpristi — sufficiently to call forth aa 
Inquiry. 

Wljy, Piute, olo fellur ! whatsomdiver air the matter wi’ ye ? Yur 
lookin' like a coon wi his tail chopped off" — dost to the stump at thetl 
An’ why are the bij; ^ate shot an’ barred— in tlie middle o’ breakff.st time 'i 
1 home tlmr hain’t nuthin ffone lustray V" 

“ lio ! lio ! Mii.ss Tump, tlat’s jess what dar hab (TO«*s stray — dat’s precise 
do tin>jr, dis chile sorry t’ say— berry much goed stray, llo ! berry, berry 
much !” 

Heigh !" exclaimed the hunter, startled at the lugubrious tone. “ Tliur 
air sommeat amiss V Wlial is’t, nigger ? Tell mo sharp quick. It 
can’t 1)0 no wuss than yur face shows it. Nothin’ happened to yur young 

: inistri'ss, 1 hope V .Miss Lewaze ’’ 

“ Ho — ho ! miffin' happen to the young Missa Looey. Ho — ho I Bad 
i enuf ’thout dal. Ho ! do young missa inside do house yar. 'Tep in, Mass’ 

, 'Tump. She tell you tbo drefful U(?w8 herselT.” 

1 •• Ain't yur master inside, too ? He’s at homo, ain’t he ?” 

. “ (iolly, no. Dis time no. Massa ain’t ’bout do house at all nowhar. 

I He wa’ hya a’mo.st a quarrcr ob an hour ago. Ho no hya now. He off to 
, the boss prairas — wha do hab de big hunt bout a momf ago. You know 
[ Mas.s’ Zeb'f” 

' *’ The hoss puruyras 1 What’s tuk him thur ? Whose along wi’ him ? 

I “ Ho! ho! d.ir's Mass Cahoon, and gobs o’ odder white genlum. Ho! 

, ho! Dar’s a mighty big crowd ob dem, dis nigga tell you.” 
i “ .\n’ yur young Mastcg Henry— air he gone too ?” 

I “O Mass' 'Tump I Dat’s wha am lie trubble. Dat’s the whole ob it. 
Mass’ Hen’ he gone too. He nebba mo’ come back. De ho.ss he been 
brought homo all kibbered over wif blood. Ho I ho ! de folks say Massa 
Henry he gone dead ” 

j “ Dead ! Yur jokin’? Air ye in airnest, nigger?” 

j “ Oh ! I is. Mass’ ’Turn]). Sorry dis chile am to hab say dat am too troo. 

) Doy all gone to sarch alter de Wly.” 

i “Hyur! 'fake these things to the kitchen. Thur’s a gobbler, an’ some 

I pur.iyra cTickens. Wliar kin I find Miss Lewaze?” 

■' Here, Mr. Stump. Come this way !” replied a swi-et voice well known 
to liim, but now speaking in accents so sad ho would scarce have recog- 
nised it. 

j " Alas! it is too true what Pluto has l)een telling you. My brother is 
j missing. He has not been seen since the niglit bt-foro last. His horse 
1 came home, with spots of blood upon the saddle. O, Zeb ! its fearful to 
j think of it!” 

“ Sure enuf that air ugly news. lie rud out somewhar, and the boss 
>^kim back ’ithout him ? I don’t weesh to gie ye unneedcessary pain. Miss 
Lewaze; but, as they air still sarcliin’, 1 mout be some help at that ere 
yuizness ; and maylM! ye won’t mind idlin’ me the particlera ?” 

I These, were imparteil, as lar as known to her. Tlie garden scene and its 
: antecinlents were alon(> kejrt back. Oberdoffer was given as authority lor 
j the belief, that Henry had gone off after the mustanger. 

? The narrative was interrupted by bursts of grief, changing to indignation 


I 


THE HEADLESS HOUSEMAN, 


190 


when she came to tell Zeb of the suspicion entertained by the people — that 
Maurice was the murderer. 

“ It a r a lie !” cried the hunter, partaking of the same sentiment ; " a 
false, pnrjured lie ! an’ he air a stickin’ skunk that invented it. The thing’s 
unposihle. The mowstaiiger ain’t tlie man to a dud sech a deed as that. 
An’ why shed he have dud it ? If thur hed been an ill-feelin’ atween them 
B'.it thur wa’nt. I kin answer for tlie mowstaiiger — for more’ii oncast I’ve 
heern him talk o’ your brother in the tallest kind o’ tarnis. In coorso ho 
haled yur cousin Cash — an’ who doesn’t, I shed like to know? Excuse 
me for savin’ it. As for tlm otlier, it airdifferent. Ef thar hed been a 
quarrel an’ hot blood atween them ” 

“ No — no I” cried the young Creole, forgetting herself in the agony of 
grief. ” It was all over. Henry was reconciled. He said so: and Mau- 
rice ” 

The astounded look of the listener brought a period to her speech. Cov- 
ering her face with her hands, she buried her confusion in a ffood of 
tears. 

“Hoh — oh!” muttered Zeb; " thur been somethin’? D’ye say, Miss 
Lewaze, thur war a — a — quarrel atween yer brother ” 

“ Dear, dear Zeb !” cried she, removing her hands, and confronting the 
stalwart hunter with an air of eamc4 < ntreaty, “promise me, you will 
keep my secret ? Promise it, as a friend — as a brave true-hearted man ! 
You will — you will?” 

The jihMge was given by the hunter raising his broad palm, and ex- 
tending it with a sonorous slap over the region of his heart. 

In five minutes more he was in possesssion of a secret which woman 
rarely confides to man — except to him who can profoundly appreciate the 
confidence. 

The hunter showed less surprise than might have been expected; merely 
muttering to himself : — 

“ I thort it wud come to somethin’ o’ the sort — specially arter thet ere 
chase acrost the purayra.” 

“ VVal, Miss Ix-waz ',” he continued, speaking in a tone of kindly 
approval, “ Zeb Stumj) don’t sec anythin’ to bo ashamed o’ in all thet. 
Weemen will be weemen all the world ovi-r — on the purayas or off o’ 
them ; an’ ef yo have lost yur young heart to the mowstanger, it wud bo 
the tallest kind o’ a mistake to serjioBo ye hcv displaced yur afTeckshuns, 
as they calls it. Though he air Irish, be aint none o’ the common sort; 
thet he aint. As for the rest yi’ve Ix-en tellin’ me, it only sarves to sub- 
stantify what I’ve been sayin’ — that it air paifickly unpossible for the 
mow, ‘danger to hov dud the dark deed ; that is, ef thur’s lieen one dud at 
all. Let’s hoi)o thur’s nothin’ o’ the kind. What proof hez been found ? 
Only tbo hoss cornin’ homo wi’ some rid sjtots on the sixldle ?” 

" Alas ! there is more. The people were all out yesterday. They 
followed a trail, and saw something, they would not tell me what. Father 

did not appear as if he wished me to know what thev had seen ; and I I 

feared for reasons, to ask the others. They’ve gone off again— only a short 
while — ^just as you came in sight on the other side.” 

" But the mow’.-tanger? What do he say for hisself?” 

— " Oh, I thought you know. He has not been found neither. Mon Diou I 



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200 


TUE HEADLESS HOKSEMAK. 


Mon DUu ? He, too, may have fallen by the same hand that has struck 
down my brother !” 

'■ Yet^ay they war on a tniil? His’n I serposo? If he bo livin’ he ough- 
ter bo foun’ at his shanty on the crik. Why didn’t they go thar? Ah I 
now I think o’t, thur’s nobody knows the adzack sittavashud o’ tliat ere 
domyeiio ’(X'ptin' myself I recon’ ; an’ if it was that greenhorn Spangler as 
war guidin’ o’ them he’d niver bo able to lift a trail acrost the chalk pur- 
ayra. Hov they gone that way agin ?” 

“ They have. 1 heanl some of them say so.” 

“ Wul, if they’re gone in search o’ the mowstangcr I reck’n I mout as 
well go too. I'll gie tall odds I find him af >rethey do.” 

“ It is for that I’ve been so anxious too see you. Tliere are many rougli 
men along with papa. As they went away I heard them use wild words. 
There were some of tho.se called “ Regulators.” 'riiey talked of lynching, 
and the like. Some of them swore terribh? oaths of vengeanc*;. O my 
God ! if they sliould find him, and he cannot make clear his innocence, in 
the height of their angry pas.siou8 — cousin Cassius among the number — 
you understand what I mean — who knows what may be done to him T 
Dear Zeb, for my sake — for his, whom you cail friend — go — go I Reach 
the Alamo l)efore them, and warn him of the danger ! Your horse is slow 
Take mine or any one you can find in the stable ” 

” Thur’s some truth in what you say,” interrupted the hunter, jweparing 
to move off. " Thur mout be a smell o’ danger for the young lellur ; an’ 
I’ll do what I kin to avart it. Don’t be uneezay. Miss Lewaze. Thur’s not 
sech a partickler hurry. Thet ere shanty ain’t agon’ ter be foun’ ’itliout a 
spell o’ sarchin’. As to riddin’ yur sj»otty I’ll nmnagt^ better on my ole 
maar. Besides, the critter air reddy now if Piute hain’t tuck off the 
saddle. Don’t be greetin’ your eyes out — thet’s a good chile I Maybe it’ll 
be all right yit ’bout your brother ; and ns to the raowstanger, I htdn’ no 
more surspishun o’ his innerscnse than a unborn babby.” 

Tlie interview ended by Z«}b making obtnsance in backwoodsman style, 
and striding out of the verandah ; while the young Creole glided off to 
her chamber, to soothe her troubled spirit in supplications for his succesa 


CHAPTER XLVII. 

AW IWTEKCEPTED EPISTLE. 

Ukoed by the most abjected fear, had El Coyote and his three comrades 
rushed back to their horst-s, and scrambled confusedly into the saddle. 

They had no Idea^f returning to the jncale of Maurice Gerald. On the 
contrary, their thought was to put space between themselves and^ the soli- 
tary dwelling, whose owner they had encounterad riding towards it in such 
strange guise. 

’Tliai it was " Don Mauricio” not one of them doubted. All four knew 
him by sight — Diaz better than any — but all well enough to be sure it was 
the Irlandtt : There was his horse, known to them ; liis armtrs tU agna of 


THE HEADLESS HOK8EMAN. 


201 


j.augar-skin ; his Xavtijo blanket, in shape differing from the ordinary seraps 
of Saltillo : — and his head! 

They had not Htay<'d to scrutinize the features ; but the hat was still in 
its place — the sombrero of black glaze which ManfTce was accustomed to 
wear. It had glanced in their t'ves, as it came under the light of the 
moon. 

Bt'sidea. they had seen the great dog, which Diaz n tnemlHucHl to bo hi.s. 
The staghound had sprung forward in tht^ miclst of the strtiggle, and %vith 
a fierce growl attacked tiie as-sailants— though it ha i not needed this to ac- 
celerate the retreat. 

Fast ns their horst's could carry them, they rode through the bottom 
timber ; and, ascending the bluff by one of its ravines — not that where 
they had meant to commit murder -they reached the level of the upix;r 
plateau. 

Nor did they halt there for a single second ; but galloping' acrosn the 
plain, re entered the chapparal, and si)urred on to the pl:\c*! where they had 
so skillfully transforim-d themselves into Comanches. 

The reverse metamor|>hosi8, if not so carefully, w.is more quickly 
accoraplishe.l. In haste they washed the war paint from their skins — 
availing themselves of some water carried in their canteens ; — in haste 
they dragged tlnfir civiliz d habiliments from the hollow tree, in which 
they had hitlden them ; and, putting thonT on in liko haste, they once more 
mounted their horses, and rode towards the Leona. 

On their homeward way they conversed only of tho lieadless horseman : 
but, with their thoughts under tho influence of a supernatural terror, they 
could not satisfactorily account for an app.‘arancc so unprecedentwl ; and 
they were still undecided as they parted company on the outskirts of tho 
village — each going t) his own jacilo. 

"Garrax !” exclaimed the Coyoto, as ho stepped across the threshold of 
his hut, and drop|)ed upon his cane couch. “ Not much chance of sleep- 
ing after that. Santos Dios ! such a sight I It has chilled tho blood to 
the very bottom of my veins. And nothing here to warm me. The can- 
teen empty ; the posada shut up ; everyl>ody in lx;d 1 

Madre de Dm ! what can it l.ave been ? Ghost it could not be ; flesh and 
bones I grasped myself ; so did Vicente on the other side ? I felt that 
or something very like it, under the tiger-skin. Santissima ! it could not be a 
cheat ! 

'• If a contrivance, why and to what end ? Who cares to play carnival 
on the prairies— except myself, and my comrades ? Mil de.motiios ! what 
a grim masquerader !” 

“ C^ajo! Bin I forestall^? some other had the offer, and earned 

the thous.and dollars ? Was it the Irelandes himself, dead, decapitated 
carrying? lufi head in his hand ? * 

1 ‘‘ But whaTthenT* be— ri.liculous, unlikely, altogether improbable ! 

" Ha I I have it ! A hundred to one I have it I He may have good warn- 
ing »f our visit, or. at least, had suspicions of it. ’Twaa a trick got op 


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THE DEADLEBS HORBEMAV. 


i 202 


/ 


try us ! — perhaps himself in Bight, a witness of onr disgraceful flight \ 
MaUito ! 

“ But who could have betrayed us ? No one Of course no one could 
tel! of that intent. How then should he have prepared such an infernal 
surprise ? 

“ Ah : I forget. It was broad daylight ns we made the crossing of the 
long prairii . We may have l)een seen, and our pur]iose su8p<'Cte<l ? Just 
so— just so And then, while we were making our toilet in the cliapparal, 
the other , >uld have been contrived and effected. That, and that only, can 
bo the explanation ! 

“ Fools ! to have been fiightened at a scarecrow I 

“ Carramhn / It shan't long delay the e,vent. To-morrow I go back to 
the Alamo. I’ll touch that thousand yet, if I should have to spend twelve 
months in earning it ; and, whether or not, the dttd shall lie done all tho 
same. Enough to lose Isidore. It may not be true ; but the very suspicion 
of it puts me beside myself. If I but find out that she loves him — that 
they have met since — since — Mother of God ! I shall go mad ; and in 
my madness destroy not only the man I hate, but the woman I love ! O 
Dona Isidora Govarubio de los Llanos ! Angel of beauty, and demon of 
mischief ! I could kill you with my caresses — I can kill you with my steel I 
iOne or other shall be your fate, it is for you to choose lietween them !” 

His spirit becoming a little tranquillized, partly through being relieved 
by this conditional threat — and partly from the explanation he had been 
able to arrive at concerning the other thought that had been troubling it — 
he soon after fell asleep. 

Nor did he awake until daylight looked in at the door, and along with it 
a visitor. 

“ Jose !” he cried out in a tone of 6 uri)ri 80 in which pleasure waa per- 
ceptible — " you here ?” 

“ Si, Senor ; yo estoy.” 

“ Glad to see you Jose. Tho Dona Isidora here ? — on tho Leona, I 
mean ?” 

“ Si, Senor.” 

“ So soon again I She was here scarce two weeks ago, was she not ? I was 
away from the settlement, but had word of it. I was expecting to hear 
from you, good Jose. Why did you not write ?’ 

“ Onlv, Senor Don Miguel, for want of a messenger that could be relied 
uiwn. I had something to communicate, that could not with safety be 
entrusted to a stranger. Something, I am sorry to say, you won’t thank 
me for telling you ; but my life is yours, and I promised you should know 
all.” . . . ^ 

The “ prairie wolf” sprang to his feet, as if pricked with a sharp-jKJinted 
thorn 

“ Of her, and him ? I know it by your looks. Your mistress has met 
him ?” „ 

" No, Senor, she hasn’t— not that I know of— not since the first time. 

“ What, then T inquired Diaz, evidently a little relieved. “ She was 
here while he was at the posada. Something passed between them ?” 

" True, Don Miguel — something did pass, as I well know, being myself 


THE HEADLESS HOKBEMAN. 


203 


the bearer of it Three times I carried him a basket of dnlcts, sent by the 
Dona Isdora — the last time also a letter." 

“ A letter ! You know the contents ? Yon read it ?” 

“ Thanks to your kindness to the poor peon boy, I was able to do that ; 
more still — to m.ako a cojiy of it.” 

“ You have one ?” 

“ 1 have. You see, Don Miguel, you did not have me sent to school for 
nothing. This is what the Dona Isidora wrote to him.” 

Di.iz reiiched out eagerly, and, taking hold of tho piece of paper, pro- 
ceedeJ to devour its contents. 

It was a copy of the note that had been sent among tho sweetmeats. 
Instead of further exciting, it seemed rather to tranquillize him. 

“ Carraml>o !” he carelessly exclaimed, as he folded up tho epistle. 
“ There’ not much in this, good Jose. It only proves that your mistress is 

grateful to one that has done her a service. If that’s all ” 

" But it is not all, Senor Don Miguel ; and that’s why I’ve come to see 
you now. I'm on an errand to the .pucMtfa. This will explain it.” 

“ Ila I Another letter ?” 

Si, Senor ! This time tho original, itself, and not a jioor copy scribbled 
by me.” 

With a shaking hand Diaz took hold of the paper, spread it out, and 
read : — 

Al Senou Don Maitricio Gerald. 

Querido amigo I 

Otra vez aqui estoy — con tio Silvio quedando ! Sin novedades de V. no 
puedo mas tiempo existir. La incerlitud me mataba. Digarao que es V. 
convalescente I Ojala, que estuviera asi I Suspire en vuestros ojos mirar, 
estos ojos tan lindos y tan espresivos — .a ver, si cs restablecidovuestre salud. 
Sea graciosa darme esto favor. Hay — opportunidad. En una corllta media 
do bora, estuviera quedando en la cima do loma, sobre la coea del tio. 
Yen, cavallero, veu I 

lODORA COVARUBIO DE LOB LlA-NOS. 

With a curse El Coyote concluded the reading of tho letter. Its sens* 

could scarce be mistaken. Literally translated it read thus : — 

» 

” De.au Friend, — I am once more here, staying with uncle Silvio. 
W^ithout hearing of you I could no longer exist. The uncertainty wa-s 
killing me. Tell mo if you are convalescent. Oh 1 that it may bo »>. 
I long to look into your eyes — those eyes so beautiful, so expressive — 
to make sure that your health is perfectly restored. Be good enough 
to grant me this favor. There is an opportunity. In a short half hour 
from this time, I shall be on the top of the hill, above my uncle’s housa 
CV)me, sir, come I 

“ Isidora Cov.arubio de los Ljjvnos.” 

“ Cterajo ! an assignation 1” half shrieked the indignant Diaz. “ That 
and not..ing else I She, too, the propo.«er. Ha 1 Her invitation shall 
be answered ; though, not by him for whom it is so cnnningly inUmded 





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204 


the headless IIOH8EMAN. 


’ K.-l.t lo the hour— to the very minute ; and by the Divinity of Ven 

Ue^^rTTse! this note’s of no use. Tl.e man to whom ii is nddrcss«1 
isn’t any ’loncer in the pueblita, nor anywhere about h« re Ood knows 
wliere he is ^ Tliere’s some mystery aliout it. No matter. \ on jio to t b. 
Ida ai d make your in<iu.ries all the same. \ou must do that to ul o 
lVrr«n<t Xever mind the pnihlcto , leave it with me. \uu can biixe 
tnke to vour mistress as you tome back tliis way Here’s a dollrr to 

pctV<>u dr »‘4 

^'wuhoufBmyinR to question the motive for these directions piven to 
liim jlr. aOer^ Jfceptinlr the douceur, yielded tacit obedience to them, anti 

' ^;l^^ie D!a. also stopped over its ^reslmld^ 

i HaaVily setting the saddle upon his horse, he sprang into it, and rode off n 
i the opposite direction. 


1 

*1 

) 


/ 


CHAPTER XLVIII. 

1 8 I DO R A . 


! «*iS 

^ tV ni ^t &i.«i CO^ anti moist atmosphere are more congenial to 

, the night, whose cm i Though the birds are stirring— for 

i ;"r^ S SSm ofLcl, el<.riou, i. 

what him P heings abroad — elsewhere than upon 

, almost ®arly to o I ct u r,„Djr ,8 the 

‘„;„TSr»bie oou" <i«y ' 

u„c«n»loa.c<mcl..or lntl,oBoHludo^^ I„p, tl.cre 

1“ s«&cd“ >» 

;;;Lr;rni,a„i.-cd by » 

1 ,be .boulders. »omii. a protption »5* "« ,h^ day. of U 

ipper lip displayed In fbo .hap of “ 

I ”r“L"SJanuS “.b^'ifi^d.Tr'ifbrd^ » ^ buspraU il.- 

i ‘"ff 14 «»in'S wllntli'chT™*.’" r'f thrSpn.vMerii.» phylognomy, 


THE HEADLESS MORSEMA5. 


2()i 


1 


this last sign of virility does not decid i you us to the sex. It may be that j 
the rider in the Texan chapparal, so distinguished, is, after all, a woman ! i 

On closer scrutiny, this proves to be the case. It is proved by the small 
hand clasjiiiig the briille-rein ; by the little foot, whose tiny toes just touch 
the “ estriho” — looking les.s in contrast with the huge wooden block that 
serves as a stirrup ; by a certain softness of shape, and pl<-a.sing rotundity 
of outline, perceptible even through the thick serape of Saltillo; and lastly, 
by tile gran I luxuriance of hair coiled up at the back of tlsa head, and 
standing out in shining clump beyond the rim of the sombrero. 

After noting these points, you Ixiconic convinced that you aie looking j 
ujHJu a woman, though it may be one distinguished by certain idiosyncrasies. | 
You are looking ujam the Dona Isidora Covarubio de los Llanos. 

You are struck bv the strangeness ot her costume — still more by the 
way she sits her horse. In your eyes, unaccustomed to Mexican modes, 
both may appear odd — unfemmine — perhaps indecorous. 

The Donna Isidora has no thought — not even a suspicion — of there being 
anything o<ld in either. Why should she ? She is but following the 
fashion of her country and her kindred. In neither respect is she jieculiar. 

She is young, but yet a woman. She has seen twenty^ summers, and 
pcriiapsone more. Pas.si;d under the sun of a Southern sky, it is needless to 
say that her girlhood is long since gone by. ^ 

In her beauty there is no sign of decadence. She is fair to look ui>on, ^ 
in her “ buen quince ” (beautiful tiftojn). Perhaps lairer. Do not supix/ 
that the dark lining on her lip damages the feminine expression of her tij<' 
Rather does it add to its attractiveness. Accustomed to tin- glowing cl 
plexion of the S.axon blonde, you may at first sight deem it a dcforiiL 
Do not jironounce, till you have looked again. A second glance, and — iilj,^ 
word for it — you will modify your opinion. A third will do away with 
your indifference ; a fourth change it to admiration ! 

Continue the scr.itiny, and it will end in your becoming convinced : that 
a woman wearing a moustache. — young, beautiful, and brunette — is one of 
the grandest sights which a Ixmeficent Nature oilers to the eye of man. 

It is presented in the person of Isidora Covarubio de los Llanos. If there 
is anything unfeminine in her face, it is not this; though it may 
strengthen a wild, almost fierce, expression, at times discernible, when her 
white teeth gleam conspicuou >ly under the sable shadow of the “ bigotito.” 

Even then is siie beautiful ; but, like that of the female jaguar, ’tis a 
beauty that inspires lear rather than affection. 

At all times it is a countenance th U bespeaks for its owner the possession 
of mental attributes not ordinarily bestowed upon her sex. Firmne.-»8. 
ileteruiinalion, courage— carried to the extreme of reckless daring — are all 
legible in its lines. In those cunningly-carveil features, slight, sweet, and 
delicate, there is no sign of fainting or fear. The crimson that has strug- 
gled thr )Ugh the brown skin of her cheeks would scarce forsake them in 
the teeth of the deadliest danger. 

She is riding alone, through the timbered bottom of the Leona. There 
is a house not far off ; but slie is leaving it behind her. It is the hacienda 
of her uncle. Dun Silvio Martinez, from the portals of which she has lute 
issued forth. 

She site in her saddle as firmly ns th ^ skin that covers it. It is a spirited 


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‘iaK'.ja 


‘208 


THa HEADLK.S9 IIOKBEMAK. 


Loree, and liaa the habit of showin*^ it by his praiicin;^ paws. But you 
have no fear for the rider : you are eatisfind of her power to control him. 

A light lazo, suited to her Btrength, is BusfKJnded from lier sadtllo-bow. 
Its careful coiling bIiowb that it is never neglected. This almost assurea 
you, that she understands how to use it. She does — can throw it, with the' 
skill of a mustanger. 

The accomplishment is one of her conceits ; a part of the idif)syncra8y 
already acknowledged. 

She IB riding along a road — not the public one that follows the direction 
of the river. It is a private way loading from the liacienda of her uncle, 
running into the former near the summit of a hill — the hill itself being 
only the bluff that abuts upon the bottom lands of the Leona. 

She j. cends the sloping path — steep enough to try the breathing of her 
steed. She reaches the crest of the ridge, along which trends the roads 
belonging to everbody. 

She reins up ; though not to give her horse an opportunity of resting. 
She has halted, because of having reached the point where her excursion 
is to tenninato. 

There is an opening on one side of the road, of circular shape, and 
having a suiMjrficios of some two or three acres. It is gniss covered and 
treeless — a prairie in petto. It is surrounded by the chapp iral forest — very 
\different from the bottom timlwr out of which she has j u.-;t emerged. On 
yi sides is the enclosing thicket of spinous plants, broken only by the oin- 
ouchurcs of three paths, their triple openings scarce perceptible from the 

iddlo of the glade. 

Near its centre she has pulled up, patting her horse upon the nock to 
^-.u-eep him quiet. It is not much needed. The scaling of the “ cuesta” has 
done that for him. He has no inclination either to go on, or tratnp imps*, 
tiently in his place. 

“ I am before the hour of appointment,” mutters she, drawing a gold 
watch from under her scrape, “ if, indeed, I should expect him at all. He 
may' not come ? God grant that ho bo able 1 

“ I am trembling 1 Or is it the breathing of the horse? Volga me Diet, 
no I ’Tis my own poor nerves 1 

" 1 never felt so before! Is It fear ? I suppose it is. 

" 'Tis strange though — to fear the man I love — the only one I over Imvo 
loved : for it could not have been love I had for Don Miguel. A girl's 
fancy. Fortunate for me to have got cured of it ! Fortunate my discover- 
ing him to be a coward. That disenchanted me— quite dispelled the 
romantic dream in which he was the foremost figure. Thank my good 
stars, for the disenchantment ; for now I hate him, now that I hear ho has 
grown •••Santiseima i can it be true that he has become — a — a — Saltta- 

” And yet I should have no fear of meeting him — not oven in this^iono 
spot I 

" jijf i$ mil Fearing the man I love, whom I believe to be of kind noble 
nature — and having no dread of him I hate, and know to bo cruel and r& 
U'orsele^s I ’Tis strange — incomprehensible 1 

No— there is nothing strange in it. I tremble not from any thought of 
danger— only the danger of not being loved. That is why I now shiver is 


rni nBADLKss horsbuan. 


20 ? 


my saddle — why I have not had one night of tranquil sleep since my de 
liverauce from those drunken savages. 

“ 1 have never told him of this ; nor did I know how he may receive the 
<y)nfe.ssi()n. It must and shall be made. I can endure the uncertainty no 
longer. In preference I choose despair — death, if my hopes deceive mo I 

’■ lla! Tliore is a hoof stroke! A horse comes down the road! It is 
h 8 T Yea. I see glancing tlirough the trees the bright hues of our 
national costume. Ho delights to wear it No wonder; it so becomes 
him ! 

.SV/i/rt Viri/iti ! I’m under a serape, with a sombrero on my head. 
He’ll mistake me for a man 1 Ofl’, ye ugly di8guiB<-s and let me seem what 
1 am — a woman.” 

Scarce (piicker could be the transformation In a pantomime. The casting 
off the serajH! reveals a fonn that Hebe might have cnvie<l ; the removal 
of the hat, a head that would have inspired the chisel of Canova I 

A splendid picture is exhibited in that solitary glade; worthy of being 
framed, by its bordering of spinous trees, whose hirsute arms seem stretched 
out to protect it. 

A horse of symmetrical shape, half backed upon his haunches, with nos- 
trils spread to the sky, and tail sweeping the ground ; on his back one 
whose aspect and attitude suggest a commingling of grand, tliough some- 
what incongruous ideas, uniting to form a picture, statuesque as beautiful. 

The paw of the rider is perfect. Half sitting in the saddle, half standing 
upon the stirrup, every undulation of her form is displayed — the limbs just 
enough relaxed to show that she is a woman. 

Notwithstanding what she has said, on her face there is no fear — at least 
no sign to betray it. There is no quivering lip— no blanching of the 
cheeks. 

The expression is altogether different. It is a look of love — couched 
under a proud confidence, such as that with which the sbe-eagle awaits the 
wooing of her mate. 

You may deem the picture overdrawn — perhaps pronounce it unfemin- 
ine. 

And yet it is a copy from real life — true as I can remember it ; and more 
than once had I the opportunity to fix it in my memory. 

The attitude is altered, and with the suddenness of a coup d' eclair’, the 
change being caused by recognition of the horseman who comes galloping 
into the glade. The shine of the gold-laced vestments had misled her. 
d’hey are worn not by Maurice Gerald, but by Miguel Diaz. 

Bright looks became black. From her seat in the saddle she subsides 
into an attitude of listlessness — despairing rather than indifferent ; and the 
second ^ouDd that escapes her lips, as for an instant they part over her 
pearl-like teeth, is less a sigh than an exclamation of chagrin. 

There is no sign of fear in the altered attitude — only disappointment, 
dashed with defiance. 

El Coyote speaks first. 

“ iria ! S’norila, who’d have expected to find your ladyship in this lonely 
place — wasting your sweetness on the thorny chapparal T” 

" In what way can it concern you, Don Miguel Diaz ?” 

** Absurd question, S’noriU I You know it can, and does ; and the reason 


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Xi.v.T.5h!r:jT 




I 
I 

the llKAULKda noBSKMAN. 

T , Vr>r>1 was I to confess it, ani 

whv. Yon well Icnow cooled you so 

rckuo'vlodRC myself your Slav.. I loved you. “ ^ 

admire you, fern. 1 

^3«Ss?^iE2SS-;.»S 

"'"■wi,.u ..rootr «*od ..m . r*i;r„T-£?;„7t.r«o„.ro.., ,o„ 

,V„Sio de 1« r>»';-v'",ru, v^ eW iu'silliuon. No do»M yoo can 
fd™‘i'ily'»''M ""J 'i;;;"'”;';;.!’ cvmcrJ by l.cr starling in lUo saddle-by lier 

>“SSVS-i:S‘rr„';r,::£'or tui,r. ...o a..^. -..on. -y 

attompt ,„ .U,g..i» ";■' ::!;f^:S”Vion ot it and ot what for many ^ dj.y_^l . 

br;r.:rr& - - 

»hi» I had ir-od reas^m to know 


THE HEADLESS IIOHSEtfAN. 


2(yj I 

Thin tells that you love him — words could not siieak plainer. You loii}jf to 
look into Ids beautiful eyes. .Wii demonios ! you sliall never see them 
a;^Hin I” 

“ What means this, Don Miijuel Diaz?” , 

The question was put uot without a slijrht quivering of the voice that 
seeined to betray fear. No womler it should. There was something in the 
aspect of El Coyote at that moment well calculated to inspire the 
sentiment. 

Uhserving it, he responded, “ You may well show fear : you have 
reason. If I have lost you, my lady, no other shall eiyoy you. 1 have 
made up my mind al)out that.” 

“ About what ?” 

“ Wliat I have said — that no other shall call you his, and loust of all 
Maurice the mustanger.” j 

“ Indeed !” | 

“ Ay, indeed ! Give me a promise that you and he shall never meet j 
Igain, or you depart not from this place 1” 

“ You arc jesting, Don Miguel ?” 

“ I am in earne.st. Dona Isidora.” ^ 

The manner of the man too truly betrayed the sincerity of his speech. 
Coward as he was, there was a cold cruel determination in Ids looks, whilst 
his hand was seen straying towanls the hilt of his machete. 

Dc.si.ito her Amazonian c uirage, the woman could nf»t help a feeling of 
uneasiness. She saw there was a danger, with but slight chance of 
averting it. Something of this she had felt from the first moment f'f the 
encounter ; but she bad been sustained by the hope, that the unpleasant 
interview might bo interrupte<l by one who would soon change its 
character. 

During the early part of the dialocruo she had been eagerly listening 
for tlm sound of the horse’s hoof — easting occasional and furtive glances 
tlmtvigb the ebapparal, in the direction where she hoped to hear it. 

Tld.s hope was no more. The sight of her own letter told its tale : it 
liad not reached its destination. 

Dejqdved of this hope — hitherto sustaining her — she next thought of 
retreating fiom the spot. 

But this t ')0 presentf.d both difficulties and dangers. Tt was possible for 
her to wheel round and gallop oflf ; but it was equallv possible for her 
retreat to bo in'ercepted bv a bullet. The butt of El Coyote’s pistol was 
as near to his hand as the hilt of Ids machete. 

She was fully aware of the danger. Almost any other woman would 
have given wav to it. Not so Isidora Covarubio de los Llanos. She did 
not even show signs of being affected by it. 

“Nonsense !” she exclaimed, answering his protestations with an air of well 
di8.sembled incredulity. “ You are making sjM.rt of me, Senor. You wish 
to frighten me. Ha 1 ha I ha ! \Vliy should I fear you f I can ride 
as well — fling my lazo as sure and far as you. Look at this ! see how 
skilfully I can handle it!” 

VVliile so speaking — smiling as she spoke— she had lifted the lazo from 
her saddle-bow and was winding it round her head, as if to illustrate 
ker obserrVions. ^ ' 







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210 


THE HEADLESS HOKBEMAK. 


Tlie act had a very different int«‘nt, though it was not perceiVed by Diaz 
who, puzzled by her behaviour, sate 8{)eechl(j68 in his saddle. 

Not till he felt the noose cloeing anmnd his elbows did he suspect her 
design ; and then too late to hinder its execution. In another inetant hie 
I arms were i)inioned to his sidee— both the butt of bis pistol and the hilt of 
hie machete beyond the grasp of hie fingers! 

He had not even time to attempt releasing himself from the loop. Before 
he could lay hand uiwn the rope, it tigi.tenetl around hie body, and with a 
j violent pluck Jerked him out of hie eaddlo’^throwing him stunned and 
senseless to the ground. 

^ow, Don Miguel Diaz J" cried she, who had caused this change ol 
• situation, and who was now seen upon her horse, with head turned home- 
ward the lazo strained taut from the eaddle-tree. “ Menace me no more ! 
Make no attemp* to release yourself. Stir but a finger and I spur on 1 
— Cruel villain I coward as you are, you would have killed me — I saw it in 

^ your eye. Ha I The tables are turned, and now ” 

j Perceiving that there was no rt'joinder, she interrupted her speech, still 
■* keeping the lazo at a stretch, with her eyes fixed ujwn the fallen 
/ man. 

El Coyote lay upon the ground, his arms enlaced in the loop, without 
stirring, and silent as a slick of wood. The fall from his horse had de- 
prived him of speech, and consciousness at the same time. To 
all appearance he was dead — his steed alone showing life by its loud 
neighing, ns it reared back among the bushes. 

“Holy Virgin! have I killed him ?” she exclaimed, reining her horse 
slightly backward though still keeping him headed away and ready to 
j springto the spur. “ Mother of God ! I did not intend it — though I should 

be justified in doing even tl at : for too surely did he intend to kill far.’ 
I Is he dead, or is it a ruse :o get me near? By our g^d Guadalupe 1 1 shall 
j leave others to dtHiide. There’s not much fear of Ids overtaking me before 

j I can reach home ; and if he’s in any danger, the people of the hacienda 

' will got back soon enough to release him. Good day, Don Miguel Diaz 1 
} llatta luego ! 

i With these words upon her lips — the levity of which j>roclnimed her con- 
] science clear of having committed a crime — she drew a small, sharp bladed 
] knife from beneath the hxldice of her dress; severed the rope short off 
1 from her saddle-bow ; and driving the spur deep into the flanks of her 
j hor.'ie, galloped off out of the glade — leaving Diaz upon the ground, still 
j encircled by the loop of the lazo I 


CHAPTER XLIX. 

I THE LAZO DNL008HD. 

Ah eagle, scared from its perch on a scathed cottonwood, with a scream, 
soars upward into the air. 

Startled by the outbreak of angry passions, it has risen to reconnoitre, 
i A single sweep of its majestic wing brings it above the glade. There, 
. poised on tremulous pinions, with eye turned to earth, it scans both the 

j open space and the chapparal that surrounds it. In the former it beholds 

1 

! 


THE HEADLESS HOKBSMAX. 


21\ 


that which may, perhaps, be gratifying to its glance — a man thrown from 
his horse, that runs neighing around him — prostrate — apparently dead. In 
the latter two singular equestrians : one a woman, with bare bead and 
cheveluro spread to the breeze, astride a strong steed, going away from the 
glade in quick earnest gallop ; the other, also a woin^u, mounto<l on a spot 
ted horse, in more feni'iiine fa.shion, riding towards it; attired in hat ami- 
habit, advancing at a slow pace, but with equal earnestness in her looks. 

Such is the coup d'ceil presented to the eye of the eagle. 

Of these fair *-quesirians both are aln^ady known. She galloping away 
is Isidora Covarubio de los Llanos ; she who approaches, Louise Poin- 
dexter. 

It is known why the first has gone out of the glade. It remains to Iw 
told for what purpose the second is coming into it. 

* « * * » • « 

After her interview with Z«!b Stump, the young creole re-entered her 
chamber, and kneeling before an image of the Madonna, surrendered her 
spirit to jirayer. 

It is needless to say that, as a creole, she was a Catholic, and therefore a 
firm lioliever in the efficacy of saintly intercession. Strange and sad was 
the theme of her supplication — the man who had been marked as the mur. j 
dererof her i rotherl 

She hail not llie slighb-st idea that ho was guilty of the horrid crime, j 
It cfiuld not b<!. 'riio very suspicion of it would have hicerateil her heart. . 

Her prayer was not for pardon, but ]>rotection. She supplicated the j 
Vir.'in to save him fro.ii his enemies — her own frieuda ! 

Tears and choking sobs were mingled with her words, low murmured in ■ 
the ear of lleavmi. She had loved her brother with the fondest sisterly t 
affeciioii. She sorrowed sorely ; but her sorrow could not stifle that other I 
affection, stronger than the ties of blood. While mourning her brother’s | 
loss she prayed for her lover’s safety. ^ 

As she rose from her knees her eye fell tipon the how — that implement j 
so cunningly employed to despatch sweet messages to the man she loved, 

“ Oh ! that I « ould send one of its arrows to warn him of his danger 1 I 
may never use it again !’’ 

The reflection was followed by a thought of cognate character. Might 
there not remain some trace of that clandestine correspondence in the 
place where it had been carrirtl on ? 

She rememliered that Maurice swam the stream, insti'ad of recrossing in * 
th(! skiff, to be drawn back again by her own lazo. His must have been 1 
left in the boat 1 [ 

On the day before, in the confusion of her grief, she had not thought of ; 
this. It might become evidence of their midnight meeting; of which, as • 
she supposed, no tongue but theirs — an i that for ever silent — could tell ths | 
tale. I 

The sun was now fairly up, anri gleaming garishly through the glass, j 
She threw ojam the casement and stepped out, with the dtwign of ]>roceed- 
jng towards the skiff. In the balcon -her steps were arrested, on hearing 
voices above. 



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TIIR IlKAOLESa HOUSEMAN. 


010 

Two persons were conversing. They were her mnid Florinde, nnd ths 
(able groom, who, in the nbwmce of his master, was taking the air of th« 
azotea. 

Their words could be heard below, though their young mistress did not 
inientionallj’ listen to them. It was only on their pronouncing a name, 
that she permitted their i):itois to make an impression uiwm her ear. 

“ Dey call do young fella Jerrad. Mors Jernul am do name. Dey do 
say he Irish, but it folks ’peak do troof, ho an’t bit like dem Irish dat 
works on do Lebcso at New Urlean. IIo, hoi lie more like bos gen’lum 
planter. Dai’s what ho like.” 

“ You don’t tink, Pluto, he been gone kill Massa Henry ?” 

- “I doan t link niitrin ob do kin 1. IIo, hoi He kill Massa Henry I no 
more dan dis chile hab done dat same. (loramity — Ooramity I 'Peak ob 
do dobbil and he dar — do berry individiblo wo talkin’ 'bout. Ho, hoi look 
Florindo ; look yonner !” 

“ Whar’” 

'■ Dar— out dar, on todder side ob do ribba. You see man on horseback. 
Dat’s Mors Jerrad, do berry man we meet on do br.ick praira. De same dat 
gub Missa Loo de’potted boss ; do same dey’vo all gone to sarch for. IIo, 
ho I Dey gone dey wrong way. Dey no find him out on dem prairas dis 
day.” 

O, Pluto ! an’t you glad ? I’m sure he innocent — dat brave bowful 

young gen’lum. Ho nobba could been do man ” 

The listener below stayed to hear no more. Gliding back into her cham- 
ber she made her way towards the azotca. Tho beating of her heart was 
almost as loud ns tho tall of her fiwtsteps while ascending the escalera. It 
^ was wth ditficulty she eould conceal her emotion from the two individuals 
whoso conversation had causcil it. 

“ What have you seen, that you talk so loudly ?” said she, trying to hide 
her agitation under a pretended air of severity. 

“ Ho, ho ! Missa Looey — look ober dar. De young fella I” 

“ wiiat young fellow ?” 

" Him as dey be gone sarch for — him dat ” 

" I SCO no one.” 

“ IIo, ho ! He jess gone in ’mong do tree. See yonner — yonner! You 
de black glaze hat, do shinin’ jacket ob vilvot, an do glancin’ silver 
buttons — dat’s him. I sartin sure dat’s de same young fella.” 

“ You may be mistaken for all that. Master Pluto, 'fhero are many 
here who dress in that fashion. The distance is too great for you to 

distinguish ; and now that he’s almost out of sight Never mind, 

Florinde. Hasten below — gi>t out my hat and habit. I’m going out for a 
ride. You, Pluto 1 have the saddle on Luna in tho shortest time. I must 
not let the sun get too high. Haste, haste !” 

As the servants disappeared down the stairway, slie turned once more 
towards tlie parapet, her bosom heaving under the revulsion of thoughts. 
Unob8ervt.*d she could now freely sc.nn the prairie and chapparal. 

Slie was too late. The horseman had ridden entirely out of sight. 

“ It was very much like him, and yet it was not? It can scarce be 
possible 7 If it bo he, why should he bo going that way 7” 


* 


4 


%■ 


THE HKAULK8S HORSEMAN. 


2ia 

A now pang passed through her Iwsom. She reracml>erod one* before 
having asked herself the same question. 

She no longer staged ujion the Kotea to watch the road. In ten 
minutes’ time she was across the river, entering the chapparal where the 
horseman had disapjK'ared. 

She rode rapidly on, scanning the causeway far in the advance. 

Suddenly she reined up on nearing the crest of the hill that overlooked 
the Leona. The act was amsequent on the hearing of voices. 

She listened. 'I’hough still distant, and l>ut faintly heard, tho voices 
•ould be distinguished as those of a man and woman. 

What man 'i What woman ? An ther pang passed through her heart 
at these put questions. 

She rode nearer ; again halted ; again listened. 

The conversation was carried on in Spanish. There was no relief to her 
in this. Maurice Gerald would have talked in that tongue to Isidora 
Covarubiode lo-s Llanos. The Creole was acquainted with it sufficiently to 
have understood what was said, had she been m ar enough to distinguish 
tho words The tone was animated on both sides, as if both speakers were 
in a passion. The listener was scarc<> dispiea.sed at this. 

She rode nearer ; once more pulled up and once more sate listening. 

The man’s voice was heard no longer. The woman's sounded clear and 
firm, as if in menace! 

There was an interval of silence, succeeded by a quick trampling of 
horses— another pause — another speech on the i>art of the woman, at first 
loud like a threat, and then sulidued as in a sohloquy — then another 
interval of silence, again broken by the sounds of hoofs, ns il a single 
horse was galloping away from tho ground. 

Only this, and the scream of an eagle, that, startled by the angry tones, 
had swooped aloft, and was now soaring above tlie glade. 

The listener knew of the opening— to her a hallowed spot. The voices 
had come out of it She had made her last halt a little way from its edge. 
She had lieen restrained from advancing by a fear — the fear of finding out 
a bitter truth. 

Her indecision ending, she spurred on into the glade. 

A horse saddled and bridled rushing to and fro — a man prostrate upon 
tho ground, with a lazo looiK'd around his anns, to all aj.penmnce dead— a 
tomhrero and serape lying near, evidently not the man’s I What could bo 
the interpretation of such a tableau ? 

The man was dressed in the rich costume of the Mexican ranehero— tho 
horse also caparisoned in this elaborate and costly fashion. 

At sight of both, tho heart of the Ivouisianian lesjied with joy. 
Whether dead or living, the man was the same she had seen from tho 
azotea ; and he was not Maurice Gerald. 

She had doubted Ix'foro — had hoped that it was not he ; and her hopes 
were now sweetly oonfinned. 

She drew near and examined the prostrate form. She scanned the face, 
which was turned up— the man lying upon his back. She fancied she had 
seen it before, but was not certain. 

It was plain that he was not a Mexican. Not only his dress but his conn 
tenance— every line of it betrayed the Spanish-American physiognomy. 







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Ho vras far from being ill-featured. On the contrary, lie might hare b««ii 
pronounced handsome. 

Ii was not this that induced Louise Poindexter to leap down from her 
saddle, and stoop over him with a kind, pitying look. 

Tlie joy caused by his presence — by the discovery that ho was not some 
body else — found gratification in performing an act of humanity. 

“ He does not seem dead ? Surely he is breathing ?” 

The cord appeared to hinder his respiration. 

It was loosened on the instant — the noose giving away to a woman’s 
strength. 

Now, hi' can breathe more freely. Pardieu! what can have caused it? 
Ijazzoed in his saddle and dragged to the earth? That is most probable. 
But who coulil have done it ? It was a woman’s voice. Surely it was ? I 
could not be mi.staken about that. 

“ And yi t there is a man’s hat, and a lerape, not this man’s ! Was there 
another, who has gone away with the woman? Only one horse went oflF? 
I “Ah! he is coming to himself! thank Heaven for that I He will be 
! able to explain all. You an; recovering, sir’l’’ 

' “ S'norital who are you ?’’ asked Don Miguel Diaz, raising lus head, and 

looking apprehensively around. 

“ Whert! is she ?” he continued, 

“ Of wiiom do you speak ? I have seen no one but yourself” 

! “ Currambo ! that’s queer. Haven’t you met a woman astride a grey 

horse ?” 

“ I heard a woman’s voice as I rode up.” 

! “ Say rather a she-devil’s voice : for that, sure, is Isidora Covarubio de los 

j Llanos. 

“ Was it she who has done this ?” 

' “ Maldito, yes ! Where is she now ? Tell me that, s’norita.” 

“ I cannot. By the sound of the hoofs I fancy she has gone down the 
hill. She must have done so, as I came the other way myself” 

“ Ah — gone down the hill — home, then, to . You’ve been very kind, 

s’norita. in loosening this lazo — as 1 make no doubt you’ve don*,. Perhaps 
1 you will stiil further assist me by helping me into the saddle? Once in it, 
! I think I can slay there. At all events, I must not stay here. I have ene- 
mies, not far off Come, Carlito ! he cried to his horse, at the same time 
I snmraoning the animal by a jH'culiar whistle. “Como, near! Don’t bo 
frightened at the presence of this fair lady. She’s not the same that parted 
you and me so rudelv — en verdnd, almost for ever ! Como on, ttvallo ! come 
on !” ’ 

The horse, on hearing the whistle, came trotting up, and permitted hi# 
master — now upon his feet — to lay hold of the bridle-rein. 

“ A little help from you, kind s’norita, and I think I can climb into my 
saddle. Once there, I shall be sate from their pursuit.” 

“ You expect to bo pursued ?” 

i “ Quim $aht f I have enemies, as I told you. Never mind that. I feel 
j very feeble. You will not refuse to help me ?” 

I “Why should I? You are welcome, sir, to any assistant# I can giv# 
you.” 

** Mi gradai, inorita ! Mi, mi gracia* ’” 


1 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAE. 


\ 

211 i 



The Creole, exerting all her strength, succeeded in helping the disableo 
horseman into his saddle ; where, after some balancing, he appeared to oh 
tain a tolerably firm seat. 

Gathi ring nj) his reins, he prepared to depart. 

“ Adios, s’norita !” said he, “ 1 know not who you are. I see yoU are not 
on© of our jicoplo. Americano, I take it. Never mind that. You are irood 1 

as you are fair ; and if ever it should chance to bo in his power, Miguel \ 

Diaz will not b * unmindful of the service you have this day done him.” j 

Saying this El Coyote rode off, not rapidly, but in a slow walk, as if he i 

felt some ditficulty n preserving his equilibrium. ( 

Notwithstanding the slowness of the jiace — he was soon out of sight, — j 

the trees screening him as he passed the glade. 

He went not by any of the three roads, but by a narrow track, scarce dis- 
cernible where it entered the underwiMxl. 

To the young Creole the whole thing appeared like a dream — strange, 
rather than disagreeable. 

It was changed to a frightful reality, when after picking up a sheet of 
paper left by Diaz where he had Ixam lying, she read what was written 1 
uixin it. The address wa.s “ Don Mauricio (Jerald the signature, “ Isi- [ 
dora (’ovarubio de los Llanos.” • 

To regain her saddle Ijouist; Poindexter was almost as much in need of a } 
helping hand, ns the man who had ridden away. j 

As she forded the L ona, in returning to Casa del Corvo, she halted her 
horse in the middle of the stream ; and for some time sate g.azing into the 
flood that foamed up to her stirrup. There was a wild exiiression upon her 
features that betokened deep despair. One degree deeper, and the watem 
would have covered as fair a form, as was ever sacrifioed to their Spirit 1 

CHAPTER L. I 

A CONFLICT WTTII COTOTEd | 

The purple shadows of a Texan twilight w’ere descending upon the earth S 

when the wounded man, whose toilsome journey through the chapparal 
has Ireen recorded, arrived ujHin the banks of the streamlet, i 

After quenching his t!)irst to a surfeit, h ' s-retclunl himself along the 
grass, his thoughts relieved from the terrible strain so long and continuous- I 
ly acting upon them. | 

His limb for the time pained him but little ; and his spirit was too much ' 
worn to bo keimly apprehensive as to the future. | 

He only liesired repose ; and the cool evening breeze, sighing through tho * 
feathery fronds of the acacias, favored Ms chances of obtaining it. ' 

’I'he vultiir s had di.sjK'rseil to ih -ir roosts in tho thicket ; and no longer I 
disturbed by their boding presence, ho soon after fell asleep. 1 

His slumber was of shoit continuance. Tho pain of bis wounds, one# 
more returning, awoke him. ' 

It w'as this — and not tho cry of tho coyote — that kept him from sleeping 
throughout tho remainder of the n: r!it. 

Littlo did he regard tho sneaking wolf of tho prairies— a tmo jackal— 
that attacks but tha dead ; the living only when dying. 


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-.M«M • „ ^.'<1 V\t>* j 


THE HEADLESS H0R6EMAH. 


1 21 « 

' He did not believe that he was dying 
> It was a long dismal night to the sufferer ; it seemed as if daj would 
j never dawn. 

! The light Came at length, but revealed nothing to cheer him. Along 
J with it came the birds, and the beasts went not away, 

, Over him, in the shine of another sun, the vultures once more extende<* 
i their shadowy wings. Around him he heard the howl-bark of the coyote, 

I in a hundred hideous repetitions. 

Crawling down to the stream, he once more quenched his thirst. 

< He now hungered ; and looked round for something to eat. 

i A pecan tree stood near. There were nuts ujwn its branches, within six 

feet of the ground. 

He was able to reach the pecan upon his hands and knees ; though the 
effect caused agony. 

■ With liis crutch he succeeded in detaching some of the nuts; and on 
I these broke his fast. 

j What was the next stop to bo taken ? 

j To stir away from the spot was simply imp^iblo. The slightest move- 
J ment gave him pain : at the siime time assuring him of his utter inability 
> to go anywhere. 

He was still uncertain as to the nature of the injuries he had sustained — 
more especially that in his leg, which was so swollen that he could not well 
examine it. He supposed it to be either a fracture of the knee-cap, or a 
dislocation of the joint. In either case, it might be days before he could 

■ use the limb ; and what, meanwhile, was he to do? 

j He had but little expectation of anyone coming that way. lie had shouted 
himself hoarse; and though, at intervals, he still continued to send forth a 
feeble cry, it was but the intermittent effort of hope struggling against 
despair. 

There was no alternative but stay where he was ; and, satisfied of thia, 
he stretched himself along the sward, with the ;• solve to bo ns patient aa 
possible. 

It required all the stoicism of his nature to l>ear up against the acute 
agony ho was enduring. Nor did ho endure it altogether in silence. At 
inter\*als it elicited a groan. 

Engrossed by his sufferintrs, he was for n while unconscious of what was 
i going on around him. Still alwve him wheeled the black birds but he had 
j beconie accustomed to their presence, and no longer regarded it — not even 
when, at intervals, some of them 8wooj>ed so near, that he could hear the 
j “ wheep’’ of their wings close to his ears, 
j Ha I what was that — that sound of different import ? 

I It resembled the pattering of little feet upon the sandy channel of the 
I stream, accompanied by quick breathings, as of animals in a stale of excite 
] ment. 

He looked around for an explanation. 

' “ Only the coyotes !” was his reflt'ction, on seeing a score of these anl- 

■ mals flitting to and fro, skulking along both banks of the stream, and 
, " squatting” upon the grass. 

Hitherto b« had fHt no fear — only contempt — for these cowardly ct«% 
tures. 


THE HEADLESS HOKSEMAK. 


2n 

But his sentiments underwent a change, on his noticing their looks and 
attitudes. The former were fierce ; the latter earnest and threatening 
Clearly did the coyotes mean mischief! 

He now remembereil having heard, that these animals, — ordinarily inno- 
ouous, from sheer cowardice — will attack man when disabled beyond the 
capability of defending himself. Especially will they do so when stimula- 
ted by the smell of blood. 

His had flowed freely, and from many veins — punctured by tlie spines of 
the cactus. His garments were saturated with it, still but half dry. 

On the sultry atmosphere it was sending forth its peculiar odour. The 
coyotes could not help scenting it. 

Was it this that was stirring them to such excited action — apparently 
making them mad ? ^ 

Whether or not, he no longer doubted that it was their intention to 
attack him. 

Ho had no weapon but a bowie knife, which fortunately had keptyts 
place in his belt. Hi< rifle and pistols, attached to the saddle, had bcim 
carried off by his horse. \ 

He drew the knife ; an 1, resting upon his right knee, prepared to defend 
himself. 

He did not perform the action a 8e<;ond too soon. Emboldened by having 
been so long left to make their menaces unmolested — excited to courage by 
the smell of blood, stronger as they <lrew nearer — stimulated by their fierce 
natural apf)etite8 — the wolves had by this time reached the turning point 
of their determination ; which was, to spring forward upon the wounded 
man. 

They did so — half a dozen of lliem simultaneously — fastening their 
tee'll upon his arms, limbs, and bo<ly, as they made their impetuous onset. 

With a vigorous effort he shook them off, striking out with his knife. 
One or two wi re gashed by the shining blade, and went howling away. 
But a fresh band had by this time entered into the fray, others coming up, 
till the a.ssailnnt counted a score. 

The conflict became desperate, deadly. Several of the animals were 
slain. But the fate of their fallen comrades did not deter the survivors 
from continuing the strife. On the contrary, it but maddened them the 
more. 

The struggle became more and more confused — the coyotes crowding 
over one another to lay hold of their victim. The knife was wieldod at 
random ; the ann wielding it every moment becoming weaker, and striking 
with leas fatal effect. 

The disabled man was soon further disabled. 

He felt fear for his life. No wonder — death was staring him in the face. 

At this crisis a cry escaped his lips. Strange it was not one of terror, 
but joy ! And stranger still that, on hearing it, the coyotes for an instant 
desiste 1 from their attack ! 

There was a suspension of the strife — a short interval of silence. It was 
not the cry of their victim that had caused it, but that which had elicited 
the exclamation. 

There was the sound of a horse’s hoofs going at a gallop, followed by th* 
loud baying of a hound. 


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218 


TMK HKAHLESS HOUSEMAN, 


The wounded man continued to exclaim — in eliouta call nn for help 
The horai appeared to be cloee by. A man upon Ida back could not fail to 
hear them. 

But there waa no reaponae. The horse, or horseman, had passed on. 

The hoof-strokea became le. a distinct. Despair once more returned to 
the antagonist ol the coyotes. 

At the same time bis skulking assailants felt a renewal of their courage, 
and hastened to renew the conflict. 

Once more it commenced, and waa soon raging fiercely as before — tho 
wretched man, believing himself doomed, and only continuing the strife 
through sh» er desperation. 

Once more was it interrupted, this time by an intruder, whose presence 
insjured him with fresh courage aiid hope. 

If the iiorseman had proved indifl'erent to his calls for help, not so the 
hound. A great creature of tho stnghound species — of its rarest and finest 
breed — was seen approaching the spot, uttering a deep sonorous bay, ns 
'with impetuous bound it broke through the bushes. 

“ A friend ! thank Heaven, a friend !” 

The baying ceased as the hound cleared the selvage of the cbapparal, 
and rushed open-mouthed among the cowed coyotes — already retreating at 
his approach. 

One was instantly seized between tho huge jaws ; jerked upwards froin 
the earth ; shaken as if it had been only a rat ; and let go again, to writhe 
over the ground with a shattered spinel 

Another was served in a similar manner ; but ere a third could be attack- 
ed, the terrified survivors dropped their tails to the sward, and went yelp- 
ing away; one and all retreating whence they had come — into the silent 
solitude ol the cbapparal. 

The rescued man saw no more. Ilia strength waa completely spent. He 
had just enough left to stretch forth his arms, and with a smile close them 
around the neck of his deliverer. Then, murmuring some soft words, he 
fainted gradually away. 

**♦**•♦** 

His syncope was soon over, and consciousness once more assumed sway. 

Supi)oriing himself on his elbuw, ho looked inquiringly around. 

It was a strange sanguinary spectacle that met his eyes. But for his 
■woon he would have seen a still stranger one. During its continuance a 
horseman hn<l ri den into the glade, and gone out again. He was the 
same whose hoofstroki* had Ixaui heanl, and who had lent a deaf ear to tho 
cries for help. He had arrived too late, and then without any idea of ofier- 
ing assistance. His design appeanal to be the watering of his horse. — 

The animal plungt-d straight into tho streamlet, drank to its satisfaction, 
climbed out on the opposite bank, trotted across the open ground and dia 
appearetl in the thicket beyond. 

The rider bad taken no notice of tho prostrate form ; the horse only by 
snorting, as he saw it, and springing from side to side, as he trod amidst 
the carcases of the coyotea 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


210 


The horse was a magnificent animal, not large, but {Hjrfect in all hia 
parts. The man was the very reverse — having no head ! 

There was a head, but not in its projier place. It rested against the hole 
ter, seemingly held in the rider’s hand 1 

A fearful apparition. 

The dog barked, as it pas.9ed through the glade, and followed it to ihe 
underwood. He had been with it for a long time, straying where it strayed, 
and going where it went. 

He now desisted from this fruitless fellowship ; and, returning to tho 
sleeper, lay down by his side. 

It was then that tho latter was restond to consciousness, and remember- 
ed what had made him for the moment oblivious. 

After caressing the dog, he again sank into a prostrate position ; and, 
drawing the skirt of the cloak over his face to shade it from the glare « f the ^ 
sun. he fell asleep. ^ 

The staghound lay down at his feet, and also sluml)ered ; but only i/ 
short spells. At intervals it raised its head, and uttered an angry growl^ 
the wings of the vultures canu* switching too close to his ears. f 

Tho young man muttered in his sleep. Tliey were wild wonls I 
came from his unconscious lips, and betokened a strange comminglX 
of thoughts: now passionate appeals of love — now disjointed speechf 
that pointed to the committal of murder. 


CHAPTER LI. 


I 

TWICKINTOXICATED. > 

I 

Our story takes us back to tho lone hut on the Almo, so suddenly for- 
saken by the gambling guests, who had made themselves welcome in the * 
absence of its owner. 

It is near noon of the following day, and ho has not yet come home. The 
ei-devant stable-boy of Bally-Ballagh is once more sole occupant of the 
jacale — once more stretched along the floor in a state of inebriety ; though y 
not the same from which we have seen him already aroused. He has been > 
sober since, and the spell now upon him has bi'en produced, by a subso- ! 
quent appeal to the Divinity of drink. 1 

To explain, we must go back to that hour between midnight and * 
morning, when the monte players made their abrupt departure. i 

The sight ol three red savages, seated around the slab table, and Indus- f 
triously engaged in a game of carfs, had done more to reston* Phelim to a 
state of sobriety than all the sleep he had obtained. 

D(*8pite a certain grotesqueness in the spectacle, he had not seen it in a 
ludicrous light, as was proved by tho terrific screech with which he saluted 

them. 

There was nothing laughable in what followed. He had no very clear 
comprehension of what did follow. He only remembered that tho trio of 
painted warriors suddenly gave up their game, flung their cards upon the I 
floor, stood over him for a time with naked blades, threatening his life ; and | 

then, along with a fourth who had joined them, turned their backs abrupt i 

ly, and rushed pell-mell out ol the place I p 


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THE tiBADLRSS IIORSEMAM. 


m 


All this occupied scarce twenty seconds of time ; and when he had re 
covered from his terrified surprise, he found himself once more alone in the 

jutitlf, / 

Was he sleeping, or awake? Drunk, or dreaming ? Was the scene real T 
Or was it another chapter of incongruous imiwssibJities, like that still 
fresh before his mind V 

Bur. no. The thing was no fancy. It could not be. He had seen the 
savages too near to be mistaken as to their reality. He had heard them 
talking in a tongue unknown to him. vVliat could it be but Indian jargon V 
Be.sides, there were the pieces of pasteboard strewn over the floor ! 

He did not think of picking one up to satisfy himself of their reality. He 
was soljor enough, but not sufiicitmtly courageous for that. He could not 
bo sure of their not burning his fingers — those queer cards ? They might 
belong to the devil ? 

Despite the confusion of his senses, it occurred to him that the hut was 
hto longer a safe place to stay in. The painted players might return to 
'nish tlieir game. They had left behind not only their cards, but every. 

'^.ng else the jacale contained ; and though some jKjwerful motive seemed 
have caused their abrupt departure, they might re-appear with equal 

iruptness. 

j The thought prompted the Galwegian to immediate action ; and, blowing 
>ut the candle, so as to conceal his movements, he stole softly out of the 


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'hut. 

Ho did not go by the door. Tlio moon was shining on the grass plat in 
front. The savages miglit still he there ? 

He found means of exit at the back by pulling one of the horse’s hides 
from its place, and squeezing himself througli the stockade wall. 

Once outside, ho skulked off under the shadow of tlio trees. 

He had not gone far when a clump of dark objects appeared before him. 
There was a sound, as of horses champing their biits, and the occasional 
striking of a hoof. Ho paused in his steps, screening his body behind tho 
trunk of a cypress. 

A short observation convince<l him, that what he saw was a group of 
horses. There appeared to be four of them ; no doubt belonging to tho 
four warriors, who had turned the mustangcr’s hut into a gaming-house. 
Tho animals appeared to bo tied to a tree, but for all that, their owners 
mi rlit be beside them. 

Having made this reflection, he was about to turn back and go the other 
way ; but just at that moment he heard voices in tho opposite direction — 
the voic.is of several men speaking in tones of menace and command. 

Then came short, quick cries of aflTright, followed by tho baying of a 
hound and succeeded by silence, at intervals interrupted by a swishing 
noise, or the snapping of a branch — as it several men were retreating 
through tho underwood in scared confusion I 

As he continued to listen, the noises sounded nearer. The men who 
made them were advancing towards the cypress tree. 

The tree was furnished wiiii buttresses all around its base, with shadowy 
Intervals between Into one of these he stopped hastily and, crouching 
close, was completely screened by the shadow. 


I 


the headless horseman. 


231 


He had scarce effected his concealment, when four men came rushing up, 
and, without stopping, hastened on towards the horses. , . , , 

As they passed by him, they were exchanging stiet^hes which the Irish 
man could not understand ; but their tone betrayed terror. The excited 
action of the men confirmed it. They were evidently retreatiag from some 

enemy that had filled them with fear. 

There was a glade where the moon-beams fell upon the grass. It was 
just outside the shadow of the cypress. To reach the horses tiiey had to 
cross it ; and, ns they did so, tho vermilion upon their naked skins flashed 

red under the moonlight. , , ^ , -.i .1 

Phelim identified tlie four gentlemen who had made so free with the 

hospitality of the hut. 1 1 n 

Ho kept his place till they had mounted, and rode off— till he could tell 
by the tramp of their horses that they had ascendinl the upjxT plain, and 
gone off in a gallop — as men who were not likely to come back again. 

"Doesn’t that bate Banagher muttered ho, stepping out from his hid- 
ing ])lace, and throwing up his arms in astonishment. “ Be jiqx’rs! it d:^ 
Mother av Moses ! fwhat cyan it mane anyhow? Whai are them divvils 
aft her ? An fwhat’s afther them ? Shure somethin’ has given them a scarr 
— that’s plain as a pikestaff. I woudher now if it’s been that same. Bo 
me sowl it's jist it theyve encounthered. I heerd the hound growlin, an 
didn’t he go afther it. O Lard ! what cyan it be ? May bo it 11 bo comin 
this way in purshoot av them?” 

The dread of again beholding the unexplained apparition, or being bo- 
held by it, caused him to shrink once more under tlie shadow of the tree ; 
where he remained for some time longer in a state of trembling suspense. 

" Afther all, it must be some thrick av Mas’her Maurice? Maybe to gi_v« 
mo a scarr ; an coinin’ back he’s jist been in time to frighten off these rid- 
skins that intinded to rub ’an’ beloiko to murther us too. Sowl ! I hope it 
is that. How long since I saw it first? Truth ! it must Iw some consider- 
able time. I remimber having four full naggins, an' that’s all gone off. ^ I 
wondher now if them Indyins has como acrass av the diminyjan ? I’ve 
heerd that they’re as fond of the crayther as if their skins was white. Sowl I 
if they’ve smelt tho jar there won’t be a dhrap in it by this time. I’ll jist 
slip back to the hut an’ sec. If thare’s any danger now it won’t be from 
them. By that farin’ gallop, I cyan tell they’ve gone for good.” 

Once more emerging from the shadowy stall, he made his way back to- 
wards the yara/c. 

He approached it with caution, stopping at intervals to assure himself 
that no one was near. 

Notwithst.anding tho plausible hypothesis he hsid shaped out for him- 
self, ho was still in dread of another encounter with the headless 
horseman — who twice on his way to tho hut might now be inside of it. 

But for tho hope of finding a “ dhrap” in tho demijohn, ho would not 
have ventured back that night As it was, the desire to obtain a drink was 
a trifle stronger than his fears; and yielding to it, he stepped doubtfully 
into the darkness. 

He made no attempt to rekindle the light. Every inch of the floor was 
familiar to him ; and esi)ecially that comer where ho expected to find the 
demijohn. 





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222 


THE HEADLESS H0R8KMAW. 


Ho tried for it. A.n exclamation uttered in a tone of disappointment told 
that It was not there. 

! ^ he grumblingly groped about ; “ It looks as 

T 1 A'’ *hey hav, else fwhy is it not in its place* 

1 liti u iliure — sliure I lift it tliiirc*.’’ 

Ach, me jewel ! an’ it’s tharo yez are yet,” he continued, as his hand 
came in contact with the wickerwork , “ an’ bad luck to thei^ imoerenc^ 
i luipty as an eggshill ! Ach ! ye greedy gutted bastes ! If I’d « known ve7 

, w. w g. in’ to do that. I’d av slipped a tl.rifie av shumach juice info [he 

jar, an nnule raal hre water av it tor ye-jist fwhat yez wants. Divil bum 
. ye lor a set av red-skinned thieves, stalin’ a mans liquor when he’s 

I nslaiK' * Och-nn-anee ! Iwl.at ain I to do now V Oo to slape agane'> I 

.toil t belave 1 cyan, thiukin av them an’ the totlier widout a thiiUe av the 

. crayther to comlort me. An’ tliere isn’t a dl.rap widin twenty Fwhat 

Iwhat lHowly Mary ! Mother av MosesI Sant Pathrick and all the others 
to lH>ot, Iwbat am 1 talkiii about? llio j)cwiher flank — the pewtlitT flank ! 
Be japers! it’s in the thrunk— full to the very neck I Didn’t I fill it for 
j Masther Maurice to take wid him the last time he went to the sittlements? 

, And didn’t he forget to take it ? Lard have mercy on me ! If the Indyins 

I have laid their dhirty claws uiion that I shall be afther takin’ lave av me 

I sinses.” 

” Hoo — hoop— hoorro !” ho cried, after an interval of silence, during 
which he could be heard fumbling among the contents of the portman- 
teau. IIoo— hoop— hoorro ! thanks to the Lard for all his mercies. The 
' flask as full as a tick — not wan av them has had a finger on it. Hoo— 

hooj) — hoorro I” 

For some seconds the discoverer of the spirituous treasure, giving way 
to a joyous excitement, could be hearvl in the darkness, dancing over the 
floor of the jacale. 

. Then there was an interval of silence, succeeded by the screwing of a 
i stopper, and after that a succession of ” glucks,” that proclaimed the rapid 
I emptying of a narrow-necked vessel. 

I After a time this sou!ul was suspended, to bo replaced by a repeated 
j smacking of lips, interlarded with grotesque* c'jaculations. 

Again came the gluck-gluck, again the smackings, and so on alternately, 

I till an empty fl isk was heard falling ujion the floor. 

After that there were wild shouts — scraps of songs intermingled with 
, cheers and laughter— incoherent ravings about red Indians and headless 
! horsemen, rept^ated over and over again, each time in more subdned tones 
I till the maudlin gibberish at length ended in a loud continuous snoring. 


CHAPTER LII. 


j . AN AWAKENER. 

Piiemm’s second slumber was destined to endure for a more protracted 
term than hie first. It was nearly nooa when he awoke from it ; and then 
! only on receiving a bucket of cold water full in his face, that sobered him 
j almost as quick as the eight of the savages, 
j It was Zob Stump who administered the douche. 




TH?i HEADLESS HORBEUAN. 


22U 



After parting from the precincts of Casa del Corvo, the old hunter had 
taken the road, or rather trail, which he knew to be the most direct one 
leading to the head waters of the Nueces. 

Without staying to notice tracks or other “ sign,” he rode straight across 
the prairie, and into the avenue alri'ady mentioned. 

From what Louise Poindexter hud told him— from a knowhnlge of the 
people who composed the party of searchers— ho knew that Maurice Oerald 
was in danger. 

Hence his haste to reach the Alamo before them — coupled with caution 
to keep out of their way. 

He knew that if he came up with the Regulators, equivocation would bo 
a dangerous game ; and, nclene voltns, he s lould be comi>elled to guide them 
to the dwellimr of the suspected murderer. 

On turning the angle of the avenue, he had the chagrin to see the 
searchers directly lieforc him, clumiKjd up in a crowd, and apparently en- 
gaged in the examination of “ sign.” 

At the same lime ho had the satisfaction to know that his caution was 
rewarded, by him.solf remaining unseen. 

“ Durn them !” he muttered, with bitter emphasis. ” I mout a know’d 
they’ a bin hyur. I must go back an’ rouu’ the tother way. It’h delay mo 
bettcr’n a hour. Como, old maar! This air an obstruckshun 70M won’t 
like. It’ll gi’o ye the edition o’ six more mile to yur journey. 13 e-up, ole 
gal ! Uoun' an’ back we go !” 

With a strong pull upon the rein, he brought the mare short round, and 
rode back towards the embouchure of the avenue. 

Once outside, ho turned along the edge of the chapparal, again entering 
it by the path which on the day before had been taken by Diaz and his 
trio of confederates. From this point ho proceeded wit!;out ])au8e or adven- 
ture until ho had descended to the Alamo bottom-land, arrived within a 
short distance, though still out of sight of the mustanger’s dwelling. 

Instead of riding boldly up to it, ho dismounted from his maro; and 
leaving her behind him, approached the jacale with his customary caution. 

The horse-hide door was closed ; but there was a largo nirert* re in the 
middle of it where a portion of the skin had been cut out. What was the 
meaning of that ? 

Zeb could not answer the question, even by conjecture. 

It increased his caution ; and he continued his approach with as much 
stealth as if he had been stalking an antelope. 

He kept round by the rear — so as to avail himself of the cover alTorded by 
the trees ; and at lengtii, having crouched into the horse-shed at the back, ho 
knelt down and listened. 

There was an opening before his eyes ; where one of the split poets had 
been pushed out of place, and the skin tapestry torn off. He saw this with 
some surprise ; but, before he could shape any conjecture as to its cause, 
his ears were saluted with a sonorous breathing, that came out through 
the aperture. There was also a snore, which he fancied he could recog- 
nize, as proceeding from Irish nostrils. 

A glance through the opening settled the point. The sleeper was 
Phelim. 

There was an end to the necessity of stealthy manceuvring. The hunter 





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224 


THE HEADLESS llORSEUAV. 


rose to liis feet, and stepping round to tlie front,, entered by the door— 
which he found unbolted. 

He made no attempt to rouse the sleeper, until after he had taken stock 
of the paraphernalia u|K>n the floor. 

“ Thur's been packen up for some purpies, ’ he observed, after a cursory 
glance. “ Ah! Now I reccollex, the young feliur sayed he war goin’ to 
make a move from hyur some o’ these days. Tliet ere nnymal air not only 
soun’ asleep, but dead drunk. Sartain he air — drunk as Backis. I kin tell 
tl.at by the smell o’ him. 1 wonder it he hev left any o’ the licker ? It air 
dewbious. Not a drop, dog-gone him! thur’s the jar, wi’ the stop-plug out 
o’ it, lyin’ on Its side ; an’ thur's the flask, too, in the some preedikamint — 
both of ’em full of empiness. Durn him for a drunken cuss. He kin suck 
up as much molster as a chalk ]>urnyra. 

“ Spanish curds/ A hul pack on ’em scattered alxjout the place, ^^^lat 
kin he ha’ been doin' wi’ them ? S’jwse he’s been havin’ a game o’ solla. 
lury along wi’ Ids licker.” 

“ But what's cut the hole in the door, an’ why’s the tother broken out at 
the back? I recken he kin tell. I’ll roust him, an’ see. Pheelum 1 Phee- 
lum !” 

Pheelum made no reply. 

” Pheelum, I say ! Pheelum !” 

Still no reply, Although the last summons was delivere*! in a shout 
loud enough to have been heard half a mile off, there was no sign made by 
the slumberer to show that he even heard it. 

A rude sliaking administered by Zeb had no Ix'tter effect. It only pro- 
duced a grunt, immediately succeeded by a return to the same stentorous 


respiration. • j j 

“ If ’twa'nt for his snorin’ I mout bliove him to be dead. He air d^d 
drunk, an’ no mistake ; intoxerkated to the very eends^^o’ his toe-nails. 
Kickin’ him ’ud be no use. Dog-goned, ef I don’t try 

The old hunter’s eye, as hesixjke, was resting upon a i)ail that stood in a 
corner of the cabin. It was filled with water, which Phelim, for some pur- 
pose, had fetched from the creek. Unfortunately for himself, he had not 
wasted it. - , 

With a comical expression in his eye, Zeb took up the pail, and swilled the 
whole of it.s contents right down uinin the countenanco of the sleeper. 

It had the effect intended. If not quite sobered, the inebriate was 
thoroughly awakened ; and the string of terrified ejaculations that came 
from his lips formed a contrasting accompaniment to the loud cachinations 

of the hunter. _ a • t 

It was some time, before sufficient tranquility was restored, to admit of 
the two men entering upon a serious conversation. j , . 

Pliolim, however, despite his chronic inebriety, was still under the in- 
fluenco of his late fears, aud was only too glad to sco Ztib Stump, notwith- 
standing the unceremonious manner in which he had announced him* 

self. 1 j _j*v 

As soon as an understanding was established bctwi'en them, and '^tn- 
out waiting to be questionoil, ho proceetled to relate in detail ns concisely 
as an unsteady tongue and disordered brain would permit, the series of 
strange sights and incidents that liad almost deprives! him of his senses. 


THE HEADLESS HORBEMAK. 


22k 


It was the first that Zeb Stump had heard of the Ileadlfs$ IIor$tman. 

Although the rejiort concerning this imperfect pi-rsonago was that morn 
ing broadly scattered around Fort Inge, and along the Leona, Z» b, having 
jiassed through the s«*ttlemeut at an early hour, and stoppetl only' at Casa 
del Corvo, had not chanci.Hl uji^ni any one who could have communicated 
such a startling item of intelligence. 

Ill fact, he had exchanged sjieech only with Pluto and Louise Poindex- 
ler ; neither of whom had at that time heard anytldng of the strange 
creature encountered, on the evening before, by the party of searchers. 
Tlie planter, for some reason or another, had been but little communica- 
tive, and his daughter had not hekl converse with any others. 

At first Ze*b was disposeil to ridicule the idea of a man without a head. 
He called it “a fantassy of Pheelum’s brain, owin’ to his havin’ tuk loo 
much of the cow-juice.” 

He was puzzled, however, by Phelim’s persistence in declaring it to be a 
fact — more e.'i)ecially when he p-tiected on the other circumstances known 
to him. 

“ Arrah, now, how could I ho mistaken?” argued the Irishman. ” Did’nt 
I sw Masther Maurice, as plain as I see yourself at this minnit ? All ex- 
cept the hid, and that I had a peep at ns he turned to gallop away. Be- 
sides, thare was the Mexican blanket, an’ the saddle wid the rid cloth, and 
the wather guanls av’ sjiolted skin ; and who could mistake that purty 
horse? An’ havn’t I towid yez that Tara went away afther him, an’ thin 1 
heerd the dog gowlin’, jist aforo the Indyins ” 

“ Injuns !” exclaimed the iinnter, with a contemptuous toes of the head. 
“ Injuns playin’ wi’ Spanish curds ! White Injuns, I reck’n.” 

“ Div yez tlr'nk they weren’t Indyins, afther all?” 

“ Ne’er a matter what I think. 'Thur’s no time to talk o’ that now. Go 
on. an’ tell me o’ all ye seeil an’ heern.” 

When Phelim had at length unburdened his mind, Zeb ceased to quee 
tion him ; and, striding out of the hut, squatted down, Indian fashion, upon 
the grass. 

His object was, as he said himself, to have " a good think which, he 
had often declared, he could not obtain while “ hampered wi’ a house 
abeout him.” 

It is scarcely necessary to say, that the story told by the Galwegian 
groom only added to the pirplexity he already experienced. 

Hitherto there was but the disappearance of Henry Poindexter to be ac- 
counted for ; now there was the additional circumstance of the non-return 
of the mustangcr to his hut — when it was known that he had start^xi for it, 
and should, according to a notice given to his servant, have been there at 
an early hour on the day before. 

Far more mystifying was the remarkable story of his been seen riding 
about the prairie without a he.^d, or with one carried in his hands ! This 
last might be a trick. What else could it be ? 

Still it was a strange time for tricks — when a man had been murdered, 
and half the population of the settlem' nt were out ujion the track of the 
murderer — more especially improbable, that the sup[>oe^ assassin should bs 
playing them I 

Zeb Stump had to deal with a difficult eoncatenation— or ra^er von 



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M 


THE HEADLESS HOIIBEMAIT. 


226 

iliomor.ition of clrcuraotanceo — evonts without causes — causes without lO" 
ri:i'-nce — crimes committed without any proljablo motive — mysteries that 
could only l>e explained by an appeal to the 8U{)ernatural. 

A midnight meeting betwetm Maurice Gerald and Louise Poindexter — a 
quarrel with her brotlier, occasioned by its discovery — Maurice having de- 
I'.arttHl for the prairies — Henry having followed to sue for forgiveness — in 
all this the sequence was natural and complete. 

Beyond began tlic chapter of confusions and contradictions. 

Zeb Stump knew the disjxjsition of Maurice Gerald in regard to Henry 
i’oindexter. More tlian once he had heard the mustanger speak of the 
y .ung jdanter. Insteid of having a hostility towards him, ho had fre- 
quently expressed admiration of his ingenuous and generous character. 

That he could have changed from l)eing his friend to become his assassin, 
was too improbable for belief. Only by the evidence of his eyes could Zeb 
^tump have been brought to believe it. 

After spending a full half hour at liis “ think,” he had made bat little 
progres.s towards unravelling the network of cognate, yet unconnected, cir- 
cumstances. Despite an intellect unusually clear, and the possession of 
strong powers of analysis, he was unable to reach any rational solution of 
this ray>terious drama of many acts. 

Tho only thing clear to him was, that four mounted men — he did not 
believe them to be Indians — had been making free with the mustanger’s 
hut ; and that it was most probable that these had something to do with 
the murder that had br-en committed. But the presence of these men at 
the jftc/tlf, coupled with tho protracted absrmce of its owner, conducted his 
c.mjec'ures to a still more melancholy conclusion: that mort^ than one man 
had fallen a sacrifice to the assiis.sin, and that the thicket might be searched 
for tw'o bodies, instead of one ! 

A groan escajred from tho bosom of the backwoodsman os this conviction 
forced itself upon liis mind. Ho entertained for the young Irishman a 
jreculiar affection — strong almost as that felt by a father for his son ; and 
the thought that ho had been foully assassinated in some obscure comer of 
the chapparal, his fle.sh t » l)o torn by tho beak of the luzzard and tho teeth 
of tho coyote, stirred the old hunter to the very core of his heart. 

He groaned again, as he reflected upon it ; until, without action, ho could 
no longf-r bear the agonising thought, and springing to his feet, be strode, 
to ami fro over tho ground, proclaiming, in loud tones, his purpose of 
vengeance. 

S.> absorbed was ho with his sorrowful indignation, that he saw not the 
stagriounJ a,s it camo skulking up to the hut. 

It wa.s not until he heard Phelim caressing the hound in his grotesque 
Irish fashion, that he Itecame aware of the creature’s presence ; and then 
he remained indifferent to it, until a shout of suiqtrisc, coupl^ with his 
own name, attracted liis attention. 

“ Wliat is it, Plieolum ? What’s wrong ? Hes a snake bit ye ?” 

“Oh, MLsther Stump, ink at Tara I Set ! tharo’s somethin’ tied about 
his nock. It wasn’t there wlien he lift. \V hat do yez think it is ?” 

The hunter’s eyes turned immediately upon the hound. Sure enough 
there was something around the animal’s neck : a piece of buckskin thong. 
But then' was something besides — a tiny packet attached to the thong, and 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


221 


hanging round the throat I Zeb drawing his knife, glided towards the dog. 
Tlie creature recoiled in fear. A little coaxing convinct.'d him that tliors 
was no hostile intent ; and he camo up again. The thong was severed, the 
mcket laid oikti ; it contained a card ! There was a name uivon the mnl, 
ami writing — writing in wliat appeared to 1 ki -red ink ; but it was Woo /. 
The rudest backwoinlsman knows how to reail. Evt u Zeb Stump was no 
exception ; and he soon deciphered tho characters tr.ace 1 ujion the bit ot 
p.aHtel)o:ird. As ho finished, a cry rose from his lips, in strange contnist 
with the groans ho liad been just uttering. It was a shout of gladness, ol 


” Thank the Almighty for this !” he added ; and thank iny ole Katin uck 
schoolmaster for puttin’' mo cl.ir through my Welister’s siK'Uin -.^k. Ho 
lives, Pheelum ! ho lives 1 Look at this. Uli, yon can't read Iso matter. 
He lives! he lives!” „ 

“Wlio? Mu^tile^ Maurice? Tliin tlic Lard ho thanked 

“Wngh! thur’s no time to thank him now. Get a blanket an some 
pieces o’ horsc-liide thong. Ye kin <Io it while I catch up tho olo maar. 


CHAPTER LHI. 


JCST IN TIME. 

" IIale-AN HOUH lost, and we may be too late !” 

They were the last words of the Inmler, as he luirriod away from the 
hut. They were true, except as to the time. Had he said half-a minute, 
he ^uld have been nearer the mark. Even at the moment of their utter- 
anen, tlie man, whose red writing had summoned assistance, was once more 
in dread danger — once more surrounded by tlie coyote.**. 

But it was not these he had noc-d to fear. A far more formidable f<>e was 
threatening his destruction. Maurice Gerald— by this time n-co inizc-d ar, 
the man in the cloak and Panama bat— after doing battle with the wolves, 
as already described, and la'ing rescued by his faithful Tara, had sought 
iep<}se in sleep. With full confidence in the ability of his canine comjian- 
ion to protect him against the black binls, or tho more dangerous quadru- 
peds, with whicli he had Ix^en in conflict, ho soon found, and for several 
hours enjoyed it. He awoke of his own accord. Finding his strcngtli 
much restore<l, ho once more turned his attention to tho perils that sur- 
rounded him. The dog liad rescuiti him from tlic jackals, and would still 
proU'Ct him against tlieir attacks, should they see fit to renew it. But to 
wliat end? IMie faithful creature could not transport him from tho spot ; 
and to stay there would be to die of hunger — perhaps of the wounds ho 
had receiveil? He rose to his fret, but found nhat he could not stflud up- 
riglit. Fecblen(“88 was now added to his other infirmity; and after 
struggling a pace or two, ho was glad to return to a recumlient position. 
At tliFs crisis a happy thought occurod to him. Tara might take a message 
to the hut! 

•• If I could but get him to go.” said he, ns he tumofl inquiringly to- 
wards the dog. “ Come hither, old fellow !” he continued, addix-ssing him- 
self to the dumb animal ; “ I want you to play postman for me — to carry a 







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228 


TIIK IIEADLKSS IIUKBKMAN. 


I 

I 

I 

I 


♦ 


letter. You unileibiauJ ? Wait till I’vo got it written. I shall thco ex- 
pi an I myself more fully.” 

•• By good luck I’vo got a card,” he added, feeling for Ida case. ” No peiv 
cil . 1 hat <lon t matter. There’s plenty of ink around ; and for a pen I 

wn use the thorn of yonder maguey.” * 

Ho crept up to the plant thus designated ; broke off one of the lorn? 
spinf^s terminating its great leaves ; dipped it in the I.Io.kI of a coyote that 
Jay near; and drawing forth a curd, trac.Hl some characters uihiii it 

With a strip of thong, the curd was then attached to ihe mrk of the 
stag-houm. alter being wrapped up in a piece of oilcloth lorn Iroin the 
lining of the lanama hat. It only remained to despatch the canine i^oi-t 
upon his errand. This prove<l a somewhat difficult task. The dumb ciea 
ture, de.spite a wondrous intelligence, could not comprehend w hy he should 
forsake the side of one he had so faithfully befriendeil ; and for ii long time 
resisted the coaxings and chi<ling.s, meant to warn him away. It was only 
after being scolded in a tone of assumed anger, and beaten by the black- 
jack crutch— stricken by the man whoso life he had so lately saved that 
he had cons«‘nted to leave the spot. Even canine affection could not endure 
tins • and with repeated looks of rcjiroach, cast backwards as he was chased 
on. he trotte<l reluctantly into the chapparal. 

Poor ifcllow I soliloquised Maurice, as the dog disappeared from his 
\new. • Tis like beating one’s self, or one’s dearest friend 1 Well, I shall 
make up for it in extra kindness, if I liave the good fortune to see him 
ogam. 


" And now, that lie is gone, I must provide against the coming back of 
these villanous coyotes. They will be sure to come when they discover 
I’m alone. ’ 

A scheme had been already considered. A tree stood near — the pecan 
already alluded to — having two stout branches that extended horizontally 
and together, at six or seven feet from the ground. Taking his cloak and 
spreading it out upon the gras.s, with his knife, he cut a row of h< les along 
the edge. Then unwinding from his waist tlie sash of china cr f e, he tore 
it up the middle, so as to make two stripes, each several yards long, the 
cloak was now extended between the branches, and fast tied by the stripes 
of crajie — thus forming a sort of hammock. The maker of it knew that the 
coyotes are not tree climbers; and, reclining upon his suspended couch, he 
could ob-erve with indifference their efforts to assail him. He took all this 
trouble, feeling certain they would return. If lie had any doubt, it was 
soon set at rest, by seeing them, one after the other, come skulking out of 
the chapparal, loping a pace or two at intervals, pausing to reconnoitre, and 
then advancing towards the scene of their late conflict. EmboldentHl by 
the absence of the enemy most dreaded by them, the pack was soon re- 
assembled, once more exhibiting the truculent ferocity for which these 
cowardly creatures are celebrated. It was first displayed in a very unnatural 
manner — by the devouring of their own dead — which was done in lees 
time than it would have taken the spectator in the tree to have counted 
a score. To him their attention was not directed. In swinging his ham- 
mock he had taken no pains to conceal it. He had suspended it high 
enough to be out of their reach ; and that he deemed sufiUcient for his 
purpose. The cloak of dark cloth was very conspicuous, as well as the 


THB IllkADtKBS IIUKBKMAN. 


figure outlined witliin it. The coyotes clustered underne.ath - their appetites 
whetted by the taste of blood. It was a sight to see them lick their red 
lips after their unnatural repast — a fearful sight ! Ho who saw it scarce re- 
garded them — not oven when they were springing up to lay hold of his 
brnbs, or at times attempting to a.sccnd by the trunk of the tree ! He sup- 
pose! tliero was no danger ! There ira» danger, however, on which he had 
not reckoned ; and not till the coyotes had desi ted from their idle attempts, 
all I stretched themselves, panting, under the tree, did he begin to per- 
ceive it. 


Of all the denizens, either of prairie or chapparal, the coyote has the 
greatest cunning. The tnipper will tell you it istlie “ cunningest varmint ia 
creation.” It is a fox in asiUti iiess — a wolf in Jerocity. It may lx; tamed, 
but it will turn at any time to tear the ban I that caresses it. A child can 
scare it with a stick, but a disabled man may dread its attack. Alone it 
has die habit of the hare ; but in packi; — and it hunts only in packs — its 
poltroonery is less observable ; sometimes under the influence of extreme 
hunger giving place to a savageness of disposition that assumes the semb- 
lance of courage. 

It is the coyotes’ cunning that is most to be feared ; and it was this that 
begun to excite fresh apprehension in the mind of the mustanger. On dis- 
covering that they could not reach him — a discovery they were not long in 
making — instead of scattering off from the spot, the wolves, one and all, 
squatted down upon the grass; while others, stragglers from the original 
troop were still coming into the glade. He saw that they intended a siege. 
This should not have troubled him, seeing that he was secure in his sus- 
pended couch. Nor would it, but for another source of trouble, every mo- 
ment making itself more manifest — that from which he had so lately had 
such a narrow escape. He was once more on the eve of being tortured by 
thirst. He blamed Itimself for having been so simple, as not to think of this 
before climbing up to the tree. lie might have easily carried up a supply of 
water. The stream was there ; and for want of a better vessid, the 
concave blades of the maguey would have served as a cistern. His self- 
reproaches came too late. The water was under his eyes, only to tantalise 
him ; and by so doing increase his eagerness to obtain it. He could not re- 
turn to the stream without running the gauntlet of the coyotes, and that 
would be certain death. He had but faint hojics that the hound would re- 
turn and rescue him a second time — fainter still that his message would 
reach the man for whom it was intended. A hundred to one against 
that. ** 

Thirst is quick iu coming to a man whose veins are half emptied of their 
blooil. The torture proclaimetl itself apace. How long was it to con 
tinue ? 

This time it was accompanied by the straying of the senses. The wolves, 
from being a hundred, seemed suddenly to increase their number tenfold. 
A thousand appeared to encompass the tree, filling the whole glade ! ’Tliey 
came nearer and nearer. Their eyes give out a lurid lights Their red 
tongues lapped the hanging cloth; they tear it with their teeth. He 
could feel their fetid breath, as they spring up among the branches ! 

A lucid interval told him that it was all fancy. The wolves wore still 
there ; but only a hundred of them — as before, reclining upon the grass 





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THE nRA[)Ll!:Bd HOUSEMAN. 


pitiably awaiting » crisis! It came before the perioil of lucidity had depart 
ed ; to the spectator unexpected as inexplicable. IIo saw the coyotes sud- 
deu’.v spring to their foot, and rush oflf into the thicket, until not one re 
mained within the glade. 

Was this, too, a fancy ? Ho doubted the correctness of his vision. He 
had begun to believe that his brain was distempered. 

But It was clear enough now. There were no coyotes. What could 
have frightened them off V 

A crv of joy was sent forth from his lips, as he conjc-cturcd a cause. 
Tara had returned 'I Perhajis Phelim along with him V There had Ix^en 
time enough for the delivery of the message. For two hours ho had been 

iKisieged by the coyotes. , i, • 

He turned upon hi^ knee, and bending over the branch, scanned the cir- 
cle around him. Neither hound nor henchman was in sight. Nothing but 

branches and bushes ! , i u 

He listened. No sound, save an occasional howl, sent back by tne 
coytes that still seemed t > continue their retreat! More than ever was it 
like an illusion. What could have caused their scampering? No matter. 
The coast was clear. Tln^ streamlet could now be approached without dan- 
ger. Its water sparkled under his eyes— its rippling sounded sweet to his 
ears. Descending from the tree, he staggered towards its bank, and reached 
it. Before stooping to drink, he once more looked around him. Even the 
a"ony of thirst could not siitle the surprise, still fresh in his thoughts, lo 
wdiat was he indebted for his strange deliverance ? Despite his hope that 
it might be the hound, he had an apprehension of danger. One glan^, 
and he was certain of it. The spotted yellow skin shining among the 
leaves— the long, lithe form crawling like a snake out of the underwood 
was not to be mistaken. It was the tiger of the New World— scarce less 
dread.-d than his congener of the Old— the dangerous jaguar. 

Its prcbcnce accounted for the retri at of the coyotes. 

Neither could its intent bo mistaken. It, too, had scented, and was I ac^ - 
lenim- lo the STOt where blood had been sprinkled, with that determined 
air that told it would not be satisfied till after partaking of the banquet. 

Its eyes were upon him, who had descended from the tree— its steps were 
towards him— now in slow, crouching gait ; but quicker and quicker, as il 

^'^To'”euea*t to^ the ^rec would have been sheer folly. The jaguar can 
climb like a cat. The imistanger knew this. 

But even had ho been ignorant of it, it would have been all the same, as 
the thing was no longer possible. The animal had already passed that tree 
upon which he had found refuge, and there was no other near that could 

^Ho^ had no thought of climbing to a tree— no thought of anything, so 
confused were his ^ense.— j-artly from present surprise, partly from t^e Iji^ 
wilderment already within his brain. It was a simp e act 
imnolso that leil him to rush oi into the stream, until he stood up to ms 
;Zt Tn the ilte. Had Im r. asoned, he would 

would do nothing to secure his safety. If the jaguar chmbs like a ca^, it 
also swims with the ease of an otter ; and is as much to be ^jeaded m ^ . 
water as upon the land. Maurice made no suah reflection. He suspected 


TUB H'£ADLESS HORSEMAN. 


251 


ihat the little pool, towards the centre of which he hal waded, would 
prove but poor protection. Ho was sure of it when tho jaguar, arriving 
ujion the bank above him, set itself in that cowering attitude that told of 
its intention to spring. In despair he steadied himself to receive the onsef 
of the fierce animal. 

He had nought wherewith to repel it — no knife— no pistol— no weapon 
of any kind— not even his crutch 1 A struggle with his bare arms couhl 
but end in his destruction. A wild cry went forth from bis lips, as tho 
tawny form was about launchiug itself for the leap. There was a siinulta 
neous scream from the jaguar. Something appeared suddenly to impede 
it ; and instead of alighting on the body of its victim, it fell short, with a 
dead plash upon the water I 

Like an echo of his ou n, a cry came from the chapparal, close following 
a sound that hod preceded it — the sharp “ spang” of a rifle. 

A huge dog broke through the hushes, and sprang with a plunge into 
the pool where tho jaguar had sunk below tho surface. A man of colossal 
size advanced rapidly towards the bank ; another of lesser stature treading 
close uiKin his heels, and uttering joyful shouts of triumph. 

To the wounded man these sights and sounds were more like a vision 
than tho perception of real phenomena. They were the last thoughts of 
that day that remained in his memory. His reason, kept too long uj)on the 
rack, had given way. He tried to strangle the faithful hound that swam 
fawningly around him ; and struggled against the strong arms that, rais- 
ing him out of tho water, boro him in in friendly embrace to tho l ank 1 

His mind had passed from a horrid reality, to a still more horrid dream 
—-the dream of delirium. 


CHAPTER LIV. 

A PRAIRIE PALANQUIN. 

The friendly arms, flung around Maurice Gerald, were those of Zeb Stump. 
Guided by the instructions written upon the card, tho hunter had made all 
haste towards the rendezvous tliere given. He had arrived within siglit, 
and fortunately within rifle-range, of the spot, at that critical moment when 
the jaguar was preparing to spring. His bullet did not prevent the fierce 
brute from making the bound — the last of its life — though it had jiassecl 
right through the animal’s heart. This was a thing thought of afterwards 
— there was no opportunity then. On rushing into the water, to make sure 
that his shot had proved fatal, the hunter was himself attacked ; not by the 
claws of the jaguar, but th3 bands of tho man just rescued from them. 
Fortunate for Zeb, that the uiustanger’s knife had been left upon land. As 
it was, he came near l>eing throttled ; and only after throwing asido bis 
rifle, and employing all his ftrength, was he able to protect himself against 
the unlooked-for assault. 

A struggle ensued, whic’j ended in Zeh flinging his colossal arms around 
the young Irishman, and bearing him Inxlily to the bank. 

It was not all over. As soon as the latter was relieved from the embracq 










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232 


THE HEADLESS H0U6EMAH. 


ho broke away and made for the pecan tree— ns rapidly ns if the injured 
limb no longer impeded him. The hunter suspected his intent. Standing 
over six leet, he saw the bloody knife-blade lying along the cloak. It was 
for that the mustanger w'as making! Zt“b bounded after; and once more 
enfolding the madman in his bear-like embrace, drew him back from the 
tree. 

•‘Speel up thur, Pheelum I” shouted he. “Git that thing out o’ sight. 
Tlio young fellur hev took loeve o’ his seven senses. Thur’s fever in the 
feel o’ him. Ho air gone dullerious I” 

Phelim instantly obeyed ; and, scrambling up the tree-trunk, took 
jwesession of the knife. 

Still the struggle was not over. The delirious man wrestled with his 
rescuer— not in silence, but with shouts and threatening speeches — his eyes 
all the time rolling and glaring with a fierce, demoniac light. For full ten 
minutes did he continue the mud wrestling match. At length from sheer 
exhaustion he sank back uikju the grass; and after a few tremulous shiver- 
ings, accompanied by sighs heaved from the very bottom of his breast, he 
lay still, as if the last spark of life had departotl from his body I 

The Galwegian, believing it so, began uttering a series of lugubrious 
cries — the “ keen ’’ of Connemara. 

“ Stop yur gowlin, ye durned cuss !” cried Zoh. “ It air enuf to scare the 
breath out o’ his karkidge. He’s no more dead than you air — only fented. 
By tho way he hev fit me, I reck’n there ain’t much the matter wi’ him. 
No,’’ he continued, after stooping down and giving a short examination, “ I 
kin seo no wound worth makin a muss about, 'riinr’s a consid’ablo swellin 
o’ ho knee ; but the leg ain’t fructured, else he kudn’t a stud up on it. As 
for thorn scratches, they ain’t much. What kin they bo? ’Twarnt tho 
jegwur that gin them. They air more like the claws o’ a tom cat. Ho, 
ho 1 I sees now. Thur's bc'en a bit o’ a skrimmage afore the spotted becst 
kirn up. The young fellur’s lM!un attaktod by coyoatsi Who’d a surposed 
that the cowardly varmints would a had the owdacity to attackt a human 
critter? But they u>ill, when they gits the chance o’ one krippled as ho air 
— durn ’em !’’ 

Tho liunter had all tho talking to hirasolf. Phelim, now overjoyed to 
know that his master still lived — and furthermore was in no danger of 
dying — suddenly changed his melancholy whine to a jubilant hullaballoo, 
and commenced dancing over tho ground, all the while snapping his fingers 
in tho most approved Connemara fashion. 

His phrensied action provoked the hound to a like pitch of excitement ; 
and the two became engaged in a sort of wild Irish jig. 

Zeb took no notice of these grotesque demonstrations ; but, once more 
bending over the prostrate form, proceeded to complete the examination al- 
ready begun. 

Becoming satisfied that there was no serious wound, he rose to his feet, 
and commenced taking stock of the odd articles around him. He had al- 
ready noticed the Panama hat, that still adhered to the head of tho mus- 
tangor ; and a strange thought at siKung it there, had passed through his 
mind. 

Hats of Guayaquil grass — erroneously called Panama— were not uncom- 
mon. Scores of Southenen wore them, in Texas as elsewhere. But hs 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAK. 


233 


knew that tho young Irishman was accustomed to carry a Mexic<in somhrtro 
— a very ditfi-rent kind of head gear. It was jHissible ho might have seen 
lit to change the fashion. 

Still, ns Zeb continued to gaze iqxin it, he fancied ho had seen that hat 
licfore, and on some other head. 

It was not from any suspicion of its being honestly in jios.se.ssion of him 
now wearing it that the hunter stoojK-d down, and tixik it off with tho de- 
sign to examine it. His object was simply to obtain some exjilanation of 
tho mystery, or series of mysteries, hitherto baffling his brain. 

On looking inside tho hat ho read two names ; first, that of a Now 
Orleans hatter, whoso card was pa-ted in the crown ; and then, in writing, 
another well known to him : — 

“ HENRY POINDEXTER.’’ 

The clonk now came und 'r his notice. It, too, carried marks, by which 
he was able to identify it as belonging to the same owner. 

" Dog-goned kewrious, all this!’’ muttered tho backwoodsman, ns ho 
stood with his eyes turned upon tho ground, and apparently buried in a 
profound reflection. 

“ Hats, heads, an’ everythin’. Hats on the wrong head ; heads i’ tho 
wrong place! By the ’tarnal thur’s somethin’ good astray 1 Ef ’twa’nt 
that I feel a putty consid’ablo smartin’ whar the young fellur gin me a lick 
over the left eye, I mout bo arter believin’ my own skull-case wa’nt any 
longer atween my shoulders !” 

“ It air no use lookin’ to him,’’ he added, glancing towaids Maurice “ for 
an explanation ; leastwise till he’s slep’ off this dullerium tin t’s on him. 
When that’ll bo, ole Nick only knows. 

“ Wal,” ho continued after another interval spent in silent reflection, 
“ It won’t do no gfxxl our stayin’ hyur. Wo must get him to tho shanty, 
an’ that kin only bo did by toutin’ him. Ho sayed on tho curd, ho cudn’t 
make neer a tr.ick. It war only the anger kep’ him up a bit. 'I’hut leg 
looks wusser and wusser. He's houn to bo touted.’’ 

Tho hunter scH-med to cogitate on how he was to effect this purpose. 

“Taint no good expekin him to help think it out,’’ he continued looking 
at the Galwegian, who was busy miking to Tara. “ Tho dumb brute hev 
more sense than he. Neer a mind. I’ll make him take his full share o’ 
the carry in’ when it kum to thet. How air it to be done? We must git 
him on a streetcher. That I redk’n wo kin make ont o’ a kupplo o’ jKiles 
an’ the cloak ; or wi’ tho blanket Pheelum fetch’d from tho shanty. 
Ye-es 1 a streetcher. That’s the eydentkul eyedee.’’ 

Tho Cunnemera man was now summoned to lend assistance. 

'fwo Buidings of at least ten feet in length were cut from tho chapparal, 
and trimmed clear of twigs. Two shorter ones were also selected, and 
lashed crosswise over the first ; and ujxm these were spread, first tho 
seraiie, and afterwards the cloak, to give greater strength. In this way a 
rude stretcher was constructed, capable of carrying either an invalid or an 
inebriate. In the rafsle of using it, it more resembled the latter than tho 
former : since he who was to be home ujton it, r gain deliriously raging, 
had to be strapped to the trestles 1 Unlike the ordinary stretcher, it was 
not carried between two men ; but a man and mare — the maro at the head, 
the man bearing behind. It was he cf Connemara who completed tho ill 



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234 


THE HEADLESS HOKSEUAH. 


mjxtchcd team. Tlie old hunter had kept his promise, that Phelira should 
“ take his full share o’ the carrying,’ when it kum to thet.” lie was taking 
it, or rather getting it — Zeb having appointed himself to the easier post of 
conductor. 

The idea was not altogether original. It was a rude copy from the Mexi- 
can lUcra, which in Southern Texas Zeb may have been — differing from the 
hatter only in being without screen, and instead of two mules, for its atelage 
a mare and a man I 

In this improvised palanquin was Maurice Gerald transported to his 
dwelling. 

«*««««*«• 

It was night when the grotesque-looking group arrived at ihejacale. In 
strong but tender arms the wounded man was transferred from the stretcher 
to the skin couch, on which ho had been accustomed to repose He was 
unconscious of where ho was, and knew not the friendly faces bending 
over him. Ilis thoughts were still astray, though no longer exciting him 
to violent action. He was experiencing an interval of calm. He was not 
silent; though he mode no rejdy to the kind questions addressed to him, 
or only answered them with an inconsequence that might have provoked 
mirth. But there were wild words u{K)n his lips that forbade it — suggest- 
ing only serious thoughts. 

His wounds received such rude dressing as his companions were capable 
of administering to them ; and nothing more could be done but await the 
return of day. 

Phelim went to sleep upon his shake-down ; while the other sate up to 
keep watch by the bedside of the sufferer. 

It was not from any unfaithfulness on the part of the foster-brother- 
that he seemed thus to disregard his duty ; but simply because Zeb had re- 
quested him to lie down — telling him there was no occasion for both to re- 
main awake. 

The old hunter had his reasons. He did not desire that those wild words 
should be heard even by Phelim. Better ho should listen to them alone. 
And alone he sate listening to them — throughout the live-long night. He 
heard speeches that suiqirised him, and names that did not. He was not 
surprised to hear the name “ I>ouiso ” often jrepeated, and coupled with 
fervent protestation of love. But there was another name also pronounced 
— with speeches less pleasant to his ear. It was the name of Louise s 
brother. The speeches were disjointed — incongruous, and almost intelligi 
ble. Comparing one with the other, however, and assisted by the circum- 
stances already known to him, before the morning light had entered the 
jntaU, Zeb Stump had come to the conclusion : that Henry Poindexter was 
no longer a living man I 


CHAPTER LV. 

UN DIA DE NOVEDADE8. 

Don Silvio Martinez one of the few Mexican rieo$, who had chosen to re- 
main in 'Texas, after the conquest of that country by the stalwart colonizers 
from the North. 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


235 


A man of more than mature ago, of peaceful habits, aad taking no part in 
politics, ho accepted the now situation without any great regret. Ho was 
more easily rt^conciled to it, from a knowledge, that his loss of nationality 
was better than counterbalanced by his gain of security against Comanche 
'ncursions; which, ])revious to the coming of the new colonists, had threat- 
ened the complete depopulation of the country. 

The savage was not yet entirely subdued ; but his maraud was no’v in- 
tcTuiittcnt, and occurred only at long intervals. Even this was an im- 
provement on the old regime. 

Don Silvio was s ganadero — a grazier, on a grand scale. So grand that 
his gnn uicria was leagues in length and breadth, and contained within its 
limits many thousand of horses and horned cattle. 

Ho lived in a largo rectangular, one-storied house — more resemblin" 
a jail than a dwelling— surrounded by extensive enclosmes (corralti). 

It was usually a quiet place ; except during the time of the herradero, or 
cattle-branding ; when for days it became the scene of a festivity almost 
Homeric. 

Th(!80 occasions were only of annual occurrence. 

At all other times the old haciendado — who was a bachelor to boot — led 
a tranquil and somewhat solitary life ; a sister older than himself being ids 
only companion. There was occasional exceptions to his rule : when his 
charming sobrina rode iwross from the Rio Grande to jiay him and his sister 
a visit. Then the domicle of I>jn Silvio became a little more lively. 

Isidora was welcome whenever she came ; welcome to come and go when 
she plco^ ; and do as she pleased, while under her uncle’s roof. 'The j 
sprightliness of her character was anything but displeasing to the old/ 
haciendado; who was himself far from being of a sombre di 8 ])ositini;( 
Those traits, that might have appeared masculine in many other land.^,^ 
were not so remarkable in one, where life is held by such precarious tenure ; 
whore country house is oft transformed into a fortn'ss, and the domestic 
hearth occasionally bedewed with the blood of its inmates I 

Is it surprising that in such a land women should be found, endowo<l 
with those qualites that have been ascribed to Isadora ? If so, it is not the 
loss true that they exist. 

Asa general thing the Mexican woman is a creature of the most amiable 
disixmition ; douce — if we may bo allowed to borrow from a language that 
deals more frequently with feminine traits — to such an extent ns to have 
become a national characteristic. It is to bo denizens of the great cities, 
securo from Indian incursion, that this character more especially applies! 
On the frontiers, harried for the last half century for the aboriginal free- 
booter, the case is somewhat different. The amiability still exists ; but of- 
ten combini^ with a bravourie and hardihood masculine in seeming but in 
reality heroic. Since Malinche, more than one fair heroine has figure<l in 
tlio history of Anahuac. Don Silvio Martinez had himself assisted at many 
a wild scene and ceremony. His youth had been passed amid perils ; and 
the courage of Isidora— at times degenerating into absolute Tccklessness 
—so far from offending, rather gave him gratification. The old gentleman 
loved his darling tobrina, as if she had been his own child ; and had she 
been so, she would not have been more certain of succeeding in possession. 
Every one knew, that, when Don Silvio Martinez should take leave of Ida 


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23G 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


Hf**, Isi'lonv Covarubio do los Lanoa, would bn tho owii-r of — not liia broad 
a<T«“s, but — Ids loaguea of land, as al.so hia tlious inds of horsos aiul cattlo 
With this undorstanding it is needless to say, that tho senorita carried re- 
6i>ect witli her wherever she went, or that the vassals of the Hacienda Mar- 
tinez honored her as their future mistress. Independently of this was sho 
rejiardad. Hers were just tho qualities to win the esteem of tho dashinpf 
ranchcros ; and there was not one upon tho estate but would have drawn his 
machete at her nod, and used it to tho eheddiufj of blood. Mitjuol Diaz 
spoke the truth, wlmn he said he was in daiipjer. Well might he belinvo 
it. Had it jdcased Isidora to call together her uncle’s vaqueroa, and send 
them to chastise him, it would have been speedily done — even hanging him 
u{)on tho nearest tree 1 No wonder ho had made such liaste to get away 
from the glado. 

As aln‘ady stated, the real homo of Isadora was upon tho other side of 
the Uio Grande — separated by some three score miles from the Hacienda 
Martinez. But this did not hinder her from paying frec^uent visits to her 
relations ujwn tho Leona. 

There was no selfishness in tho motive. Tho prospect of tho rich inheri- 
tance had nothing to do with it. Sho w’as an cxiHJCtant heiress without 
that : fur her own father was a rico. But sho liked tho company of her uncle 
and aunt. She also enjoyed tho ride from river to river — oft made by her 
between morning and night, and not unfrequently alono ! Of lato these 
visits had become of much more frequent occurrence. Had she grown 
fomier of the society of hor Texan relatives — fonder as they grow older? 
If iu)t what was hor motive ? Imitating her own frankness of character, it 
^may at once bo declared. 

^ She came oftener to tho Leona, in the hope of meeting with Maurice 


With like frankness may it bo told, that she loved him. 

Beyontl doubt, tho young Irishman was in possession of her heart. As al- 
readv known, ho had won it by an act of friendship ; though it may have 
been less in the service he had done, than tho gallantry displayed in doing 
it, that had put the love-spell on tho daring Isidora. 

Perhajis, too, sho saw in him other captivating qualities, loss easily de- 
fined. Whether these had been undesignedly exhibited, or with the inten- 
tion to elfect a conquest, he alono can toll. Ho has himself said. No ; and 
respect is duo to his declaration. But it is difficult to believe, that mort il 
man could have gazed into the eyes of Isidora de los Llanos without wish- 
ing them to look longingly upon him. Maurice may have siwken the 
truth ; but wo could better believe him, had ho seen Louise Poindexter be- 
fore looming acquainted with Isidora. The episode of tho burnt prairie 
was several weeks subsequent to the adventure with tho intoxicated Indians. 
Certainly something appears to have occured btftween him and the Mexi- 
can maiden, that leads her to believe she has a hope— if not a claira^upon 
his alTections. It hascomo to that crisis, that she can no longer rest satis- 
fied Her impulsive spirit cannot brook ambiguity. She knows that sho 
loves him. Sho has determined to make frank confession of it ; and to ask 
with like frankness whether her passion l)o reciprocated. Hence her hav- 
ing made an appointment that could not bo k«!pt. For that day I^n 
^liguol Diaz had interfered between her and her purpose. So thought sh^ 


THE HEADLESS HURSEUAV. 23 ’? 

as she galloped out of the glade, and hastened back to the hacienda of her 
uncle. 




Astride her grey steed she goes at a gallop. 

Her head is bare; her coiffure disarranged ; her rich black tresses stream 
ing back beyonil her shoulders, no longer covered by scarf, or serape. Tho 
last she has left behind her, and along with il her vicuna hat. Her eyt^s 
are tlasliing with excitement ; her cheeks Hushed to tho colour of carmine. 
The cause is known. AnU also why sho is riding in such hot haste. Sho 
has horselt declared it. On nearing tho house, she is seen to tighten her 
rein. Tho horse is pulled in to a slower pace— a trot ; slower still— a walk ; 
and, 8o<in after, he is halted in tho middle of tho road. His rider has 
changed her intention; or stops to reflect whether she should. 

She s.ts reflecting. 

“ On second thoughts — perhaps — better not have him taken ? It would 
create a terrible scandal everywhere. So far, no one knows of . Be- 
sides, what can I say myself — the only witness ? Ah ! wore I to tell tlu'so 
gallant Texans the story, my own testimony would bo enough to have him 
punished with a harsh hand. No? let him live. Lndron as ho is, 1 do not 
fear him. After what’s happened he will not care to come near me. Santa 
I irffen ! to think that I could have felt a fancy for this man — short-lived os 
it was I 

“ I must send some one back to release him. One who can keep my 
*®cret — who? Benito, the mayor domo — faithful and bravo. Graciat a 
diet ! Yonder’s my man — as usual busied in counting his cattle. Bimito 1” 

“ At your orders, s’norita ?’, 

" Good Benito, I want you to do mo a kindness. You consent?” 

" At your orders, s’norita?” repeats the mayor-domo, bowing low. 

” Not orders, gf)od Benito. I wish you to do me a favour” 

"Command me, s’norita I” 








three roads meet ?’’ 

“ As well as the corral of your uncle’s hacienda.” 

“ Good I Go there. You will find a man lying upon tho ground, his 

arms entangled in a lazo. Release, and let him go free. If he bo hurt 

by a harsh fall ho has had— do what you can to restore him ; but don’t tell 
him who sent you. kou may know the man — I think you do. No matter 
for that. Ask him no questions, nor answer his, if he should put any 
Once you have seen him on his lege, let him make use of them after his 
own fashion. You understand?” 

11 Your orders shall be obeyed to tue letter.” 

Thanks, good Benito. Uncle Silvio will like you all the better for it ; 
though you mustn’t tell him of it. I^avo that to me. If he shouldn’t— it 
he shouldn t— well I one of these days there may be an estate on tho Rio 
Grande that will stand m need of a brave, faithful steward— such an one 
as 1 Know you to be. 

Isidora is gracious as sho is fair.” 

Thanks— thanks 1 One more request. Tho service I ask you to do 








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( 033 


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for me muBt bo known, only to three individaalB. Tlie third Is he whom 
you are sent to succour. You know the other two ?” 

“ S’norita, I comprehend. It shall be as you wish it.” 

The mayor-domo is moving off— on horseback, it need scarce bo said ^ 
Mon of his calling rarely sat foot to the earth— never upon a journey of 
half a league in length. .. 

“ Stay 1 I had forgotten I” calls out the lady, arresting him. You will 
find a hat and scrape. They are mine. Bring them to me. I shall wait 
for you here, or meet you somewhere along the road.” 

Bowing, he again rides away. Again he is summoned to stop. 

“On second thoughts, Senor Benito, I’ve made up my mind to go along 

with you. Vamos i -i • j i 
The steward of Don Silvio is not surprised at caprice when exhibited by 
the niece of his employer. Without questioning ho obeys her command, 
and once more heads his horse for the hill. 

The lady follows. She has told him to ride in the advance. She has her 
reason for departing from the aristocratic custom. 

, Benito is astray in his conjecture. It is not to caprice that ho is indebt- 
ed for the companionship of the senorita. A serious motive takes her 
back along the road. 

She has forgotten something more than her wrapper and hat — that little 
letter that caused her so much annoyance. 

'The “ good Benito” has not had all her confidence ; nor can ho bo entrust- 
ed with this. It might prove a scandal, graver than the quarrel with Don 

Miguel Diaz. . -j 

She rides back in hopes of repossessing herself of the epistle. How stupid 
not to have thought of it before I How had El Coyote got hold of it ? Ho 
'^must havo bad it from Joso I Was her servant a traitor?^ Or had Diaz 
met him on the way, and forced the letter from him? To either of these 
questions an affirmative answer might bo surmised. On the part of 
Diaz, such an act would have been natural enough ; and as for Jose, it is 
not the first time she has had reason for suspecting his fidelity, bo run 
her thoughts as she reascendod the slope, leading from the nver bot- 
tom. The summit was gained, and the opening entered ; Isidora now rid- 
ing side by side with the mayor-domo. No Miguel Diaz there no man of 
any kind — and wliat gives her far more chagrin, not a scrap of paper I 
There is her hat of vicuna wool — her serape of Saltillo, and the loop end 

of her lazo — nothing more. ^ # u- 

“ You may go homo again, Senor Benito 1 The man thrown his 
horse must have recovered his senses — and, I suppose, his saddle, too. BIcm- 
ed be the virgin 1 But remember, good Benito, Secrecy aU the tame. Jin- 
(lende, V f” 

“ Toenltendo, Dona Itidora.” . , j * 

The mayor-domo moves away, and is soon lost to sight behind the cres 

of the hilL 


1 #•****♦** 

1 

j The lady of the lazo is once more alone in the glade. She sprini^ 

> her saddle : dons serape and sombrero ; and is again the beau ideal of a 


t 

y 




THE nEADLB68 flOHSEHAH. 


^i9 


youthful hidalgo. She remounts slowly, mechanically — as if her thoughts 
do not accompany the action. Languidly she lifts her limb over the croup. 
The pretty foot was for a second or two poised in the air. Her ankle, 
escaping from the skirt of her enagua, displays a toumure to have crazed 
Praxiteles. As it descends on the opposite side of the horse, a cloud seems 
to overshadow the sun. Simon Stylites could scarce have clost'd his eyes on 
the siiectacle. But there is no spectator of this interesting episode ; not 
even the wretched Joso ; who, the moment after, comes skulking into the 
glade. Ho is questioned, without circumlocution upon the subject of the 
strayed letter. 

“ What have you done with it, sirrah?” 

“ Delivered it, my lady.” 

“ To whom ?” 

“ I left it at — at — the pomda,” ho replies, stammering and turning pala 
“ Don Mauricio had gone out.” 

“ A lie, lepero ! You gave it to Don Miguel Diaz. No denial, sir I I’ve 


teen it since.” 

“O. Senoia, jiardon 1 pardon ! I am not guilty — indeed I am not 1” 

“ Stujiid, you should have told your story better. You have committed 
yourself. How much did Don Miguel pay you for your treason ?” 

“ As 1 live, lady, it was not treason. He — he forced it from mo — by 
threats — blows. 1 — I — was not paid.” 

“ You shall bo, then 1 I discharge you from my service ; and for wages 
take that, and that, and that — ” 

For at least ten times are the words repeated — the riding-whip at each 
repetition descending upon the shoulders of the dishonest messenger. Ho 
essays to escape by running off. In vain. He is brought up again ^ 
dread of being ridden over and trampled under the hoofs of the eXy 
horse. Not till the blue wheals ap^'arod upon his brown skin, doesY 
chastisement cease. “ Now, sirr.ih, from my sight 1 and let me see you^ 
more. Al monte ! al monte !” With ludicrous alacrity the command 
obeyed. Like a scared cat the discharged servitor rushes out of tlu\ 
glade ; only too happy to hide himself, and his shame under the shadowaV 
of the thorny thicket. But a little while longer does Isadora remain upon '*■ 
the spot — her anger giving place to a profound cliagrin. Not only has she 
been batlletl from carrying out her design ; but her heart’s secret is now in 
the k(!eping of traitors ! 

Once more she heads her horse homeward. 

Phe arrives in ■'.ime to bo present at a singular spectacle. 

Till! people — peons, vaqueros, and employes of eveiy kind — aro hurrying 
to and fni, from field to corral, from corral to courtyard ; one and all giving 
longue to terrified ejaculations. 

'i'he men are now on their feet, arming in confused haste ; the women on 
their kni-cs, praying pitifully to heaven— through the intercession of a 
score of those saints, profusely furnished by the Mexican heirarchy to suit 
all times and occasions. " What is causing the commotion ?” 

This is the question asked by Isidora. The mayor-domo — who chances 


to be the first to present himself — is the individual thus interrogated. A 


man has been murdered somewhere out open the prairie. The victim is 
one of the new people who have lately taken possession of Casa del Corvo 



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TilK HEADLBS8 IIORffEU tV. 


.-the Ron of tho American haciendado himself. Indians are repoitei ts 
have done the deed. Indians! In this word is tlie key to the excilemea. 
auionff Don Silvio’s servitors. It explains both the praying and the hurri 
cd rushing to arms. The fact that a man has been murdered— a slight 
circumstance in that land of unbridled emotions— would have produced no 
such rcRiKjnse— more especially when the man was a stranger, an “ Ameri 

**^But tho report that Indians are abroad, is altogether a different affair. In 
it there is an idea of danger. 

The effect produced on l.sidora is different. It is not fear of tho savages 
The n vnie of the “ asesinado ” rccals thoughts that have already given Ijer 
nain She knows that there is a sister, siwken of as being wonderfuUy 
beautiful. She has herself looked upon this beauty, and cannot help 

^"^A^ketme" pang proceeds from something else she has heard ; that this 
iH-erless maiden has been seen in tho company of Maurice Oerald. 1 here 
IS no fresh iealousy inspired by tho news of the brother s death— only the 
old unpleasantness for the moment revived. Tho feeling soon gives place 
to tho ordinary indifference felt for tho fate of those with whom we have no 
acduaintanco. Some hours later, and this indiffer^ce becomes clianged to 
a painful interest; in short, an apprehension There 
nbout the murder. It has been committed, not by Comanches ; but by a 
white man— by Mattrice the mmtangcr ! There arc no Indians near. This 
later edition of “ novedades,” while tranquilizing Don Silvios sonants, 
hai the contrary effect upon his niece. She cannot rest under the rumour ; 
,r.’«hJ^alf an-hou^ afterwards, she is seen reining up her horse in front of tho 

or somc^weeks, with motive unknown, she has been devoting ^ 

> stmly of Ln le.ngua Amerierrua. Uer vocabulary of English words, still 
canty, is Bullicenl for her present purpose ; w-hich is to acquire information, 
alioul the murder, but tho man accused of committing it. 

knowing who she is, answers her inquiries with obsequious 

^Sho^^ltfarns that Maurice Gerald is no longer his guest, with “ full 
nadiculars of the murder,” so far as known. With a sad heart she r.d^ 
ilick to the Ilacierda Martinez. On reaching tho house, she finds its 
* •IT* nrr \n -ictiirlxHl Tho HCW Cfluse of oxcitenii^nt uiiglit bavo 

i,i’rAod ri,s. p “““ 

Sc tboVrt. 'I'l rifc .hTo»sl.o«l I „„„ 

; '«nd. .I.-Bislina rriin their search, had ndden array Iram him, as 

they would have done from the devil . ,, readv to swear to the 

aJmnt furaish a mors trustworthy erld.u« 

•f its truthfulness. mmnnra 

The sun goes down upon a eofigrrtes of frightful rnmou . 


TBB UBADLESS HOKSE'^AN. 


211 




Neither these nor tho protestations of Don Silvio anil his sister can [»r>>- 
rout their capricious niece from carrying out a resolution she seems sudden- 
ly to have formed— wliich is, to ride back to the Rio Grande. It makes no 
difference to her, that a murder has been committed on the road she will 
have to take ; much less that near it has been seen the ghastly apparition 
of a headless horseman I What to any other traveller should cause dismay, 
seems only to attract Isidora. She even proisises making the journey ahne ! 
Don Silvio offers an escort — half a score of his raqueros, armed to tho teeth. 
Tho ofibr is rejected. Will she take Benito ? No. She prefers journeying 
alono. In short, she is determined upon it. 

Next morning she carries out this determination. By day-break she is in 
the saddle ; and, in less than two hours after, riding, not upon the direct 
road to the Rio G-aade, but along the banks of the Alamo ! Why has she 
thus deviated from her route? Is she straying? She looks not like one 
who lias lost her way. There is a sad expression u})on her countenancts, 
but not one of inouiry. Besides, her horse steps confidently forward, as if 
under his vider's direction, and guided by the rein. Isidora is not straying. 
She lias rA)t lost her way. Happier for her, if she had. 


CHAPTER LVI. 

A SHOT AT THE DEVIU 

Auti nig’bt long the invalid lay awake ; at times tranquil, at times giving 
way to a paroxysm of unconscious passion. All night long tho hunter 1 ^' — 
by his bedside, and listened to his incoherent utterances. They but c' 
firmed two points of belief already irapn^ssed upon Zeb’s mind : that Loui- 
Poindexter was beloved ; that her brother had been murdered ! Tho la.-, 
was a belief that, under any circumstances, would have been painful to the\ 
backwoodsman. Couple 1 with the facts already known, it was agonising. ^ 
He thought of the quarrel — tho hat — the cloak. He writhed as he contem- 
plaied tlie labyrinth of dark ambiguities that presented itself to his mind. 
Never in his life had his analytical powers been so completely ballled. Ho 
groaned as he folt their impotence. He kept no watch upon the door. Ho 
know that if they came, it would not be in the night. Once only he went 
out ; but that was near morning, when the light of the moon was begin- 
ning to mingle with that of tho day. He had been summoned by a sound. 
Tara, straying among the trees, had given utterance to a long dismal 
“gowl,” and come running scared-like into the hut. Extinguishing tho 
light, Zeb stole forth, and stood listening. There was an interruption to 
tho nocturnal chorus ; but that might have been caused by the howling of 
tho hound ? What had caused it ? The hunter directed his glance first 
upoa the open lawn ; then i/nund its edge, and under the shadow of tho 
trees. There was nothi"”^ <o be seen there, except what shonld be. 

He raised his eyes .o tlie cliff, that in a dark lino trended along tho 
horiaoa of the sky — broken at both ends by the tope of some tall trees that 
rose above its crests. There were about fifty paces of olear space, which 




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242 


THB HBADLESS HORSEMAN. 


I 

he knew to be the edge of the upper plain terminating at the brow of th# 
precipice. 

The line separating the ehiaro from the the oseuro could be traced distinct- 
I 7 as m the day. A brilliant moon was beyond it. A snake could have 
been seen crawling along the top of the cliff 
, There was nothing to bo seen there. 

• But there was something to bo heard. As Zeb stood listening, there 
Cume a sound from the upper plain, that seemed to have been produced not 
^ar back from the summit of the ckff. It resembled the clinking of a 
I horse’s shoo struck against a loose stone. 

So conjectured Zeb, as with open ears ho listened to catch its repetition. 

I It was not repeated ; but he soon saw what told him his conjecture was 
j correct — a horse, stepping out from behind the tree-toj> 8 , and advancing 
along the line of the bluff. There was a man upon his back — both horse 
and man distinctly seen in dark silhouette against the clear sapphire sky. 
The figure of the horse was perfect, as in the outlines of a skillfully cast 
I medallion. That of the man could bo traced — only from the saddle to the 
^ shoulders. Below, the limbs were lost in the shadow of the animal though 
the sparkle of spur and stirrup told that they were there. Above, there 
‘ was nothing — not even the semblance of a head I 

Zeb Stump rubbed his eyes and looked ; and rubbed them and looked 
again. It did not change the character of the apparition. If ho had 
' rubbed them fourscore times, ho would have seen the same — a horseman 
without a head. 

' Tliis very sight ho saw, beyond the possibility of disbelieving— saw the 
horse advancing along the level lino in a slow but steady pace — without 
'■■ill — without sound of any kind — as if gliding rather than walking— 
the shifting scene of a cosmorama I 

.ot for a mere instant had he the opportunity of observing the spectral 
parition ; but a ]wriod long enough to enable him to note every detail — 
■ng enough to satisfy him that it could bo no illusion of the eye, or in any 
- way a deception of liis senses. 

I Nor did it vanish abruptly from his view ; but slowly and gradually ; 
j first the head of the horse ; then the neck and shoulders ; then the sliaiie, 

' half ghastly, half grotesque, of the rider ; then the liind-quarters of the 
animal ; the hips ; and last of all the long tapering tail ! 

“ Ocehosophat I” 

It was not surprise at the disappearance of the headless horseman that 
extorted this exclamation from the lips of Zeb Stump. There was nothing 
I strange about this. The spectacle had simply passed behind the proscenium 
I — represented by the top of tree tops rising above the bluff. 

I “ Ocehosophat !” 

I Twice did the backwoodsman give utterance to this, his favourite expres- 
I sion of surprise ; both times with an emphasis that told of an unlimited 
astonishment. His looks betrayed it. Despite his undoubted courage, a 
shiver passed though his collossal frame ; while the pallor upon liis lips 
was perceptible through their brown priming of tobacco juice. For some 
time he stood speechless, as if unable to follow up his double ejaculation. 
His tongue at length returned to him. 

" Dog-gone my cats 1” he mattered, but in a very low tone, and with eyes 


TUB HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


24;i 


If 


Still fixed upon the point where the horse’s tail had been last seen, 
that ere don't whip the hul united croashun, ray name ain’t Zeb’Ion Stump I 
The Irish hev been right arter aU. I tho’t ho hod dreemt o’ it i j his drink. 
But no. He hev seed somethin’ ; and so hev I meself. Nc wonner the 
cuss wur skeeart. I feel jest a spell shaky in my own nar.'es bcout this 
time. Qeohosophat I what kin the durned thing be ?” 

" What kin it be ?” he continued, after a period spent in silent reflection 
“ Dog-goned, ef I kin detarmine one way or the tother. Ef ’t hed been 
only i’ the daylight, an’ 1 ked a got a good sight on’t ; or eft hed I een u 
Jeetle bit cloaster 1 Ha ! Why moutn’t I git cloaster to it ? iW goned, 
ef I don’t hev a try I I reck’n it won’t eet me— not ef it air ole Nick ; an’ 
ef it rtir him. I’ll jest satersfy meself whether a bullet kin go custrut thre’ 

his infernal karkidiro ’ithoilt tlirowin’ liim rmt. t.lm sMtille ITvnr rrn fnr n 


his infernal karkidgo ’ithout tbrowin’ him out o’ the seddle. Ilyur go for a 
cloaster akwintance wi’ the varmint, whatsomiver it be.” ! 

So saying, the hunter stalked off through the trees — upon the path that j 
led up to the bluff. He had not needed to go inside for ids rifle — having | 
brought that weapon out with him, on hearing the howl of the hound. If ' 
the headless rider was real flesh and blood — earthly and not of the other ' 
world — Zeb Stump might confidently count upon seeing him again. When 
viewed from the door of the jacale, ho was going direct towards the ravine, j 
that permitted passage from the higher level to the bottom lands of the 
Alamo. As Zeb had started to avail himself of the same path, unless the | 
other should meantime change direction, or his tranquil pace to a trot or ' 
gallop, the backwoodsman would bo at the head of the pass as soon as he. 

Before starting, Zeb had made a calculation of the distance to be done, ' 
and the time to do it in. ! 

His estimate proved correct— to a second, and an inch. As his head was 
brought nearly on a level with the upland plain, he saw the shoulders of thc»- 
horseman rising above it. T 

Another step upward, and the body was in view. Another, and the horsel 
was outlined against the sky, from hoof to forelock. \ 

He stood at a halt. He was standing, ns Z«“b first came in sight of him. / 
Ho was fronting towards the cliff, evidently intending to go down into the 
gorge. His rider appeared to have pulled him up as a measure of precau- 
tion ; or he may have heard the hunter scrambling up the ravine ; or, what I 
was more likely, scented him. j 

For whatever reason, he was standing, front face to the spectator. t 

On seeing him thus, Zeb Stump also came to a stand. Had it been many j 

another man, the same might have been said of his hair; and it is not to t 

bo denied, that the old hunter was at that moment, as he acknowledged ! 

himself. “ a aiwll bIi.-.I-v tlin rtoi»Trrtci ** ^ 


a spell shaky 'lieout the narves. 

He was firm enough, however, to carry out the purpose that had prompt- 
ed aim to seek that singular interview ; which was, to discover whether he 
had to deal with a human being, or the devil ! 

In an instant his rifle was at his shoulder, his eye glancing along the bar- 
rel ; the sights, by the help of a brilliant moonlight, bearing upon the 
heart of the Headless Horseman. 

In another, a bullet would have been through it ; but for a thought that 
j ust then flashed across the brain of the backwoodsman. 

Maybe he was about to commit murskr d 







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214 


TilK Ilh:AULK;SS HORSEMAN. 


At the thoup'ht he lowered the, muzzle of lus piece, and remained for a 
; time undecided. 

, “ It mout be a man ?” muttered lie, " thou"h it don’t look like it air. 

I Thur ain’t room enuf for a head under that ere Mexikin blanket, no how. 

, Ef it bo a human critter he hev pot a tonpue I reck’n, thouph ho ain’t 
much o’ a head to hold it in. Hilloo, strenper 1 Yero out for a puttj- 
lateiah ride, ain’t ye ? Hain’t ye forpoi to fetch yur head wi ye ?” 

There was no reply. The horse snorted, hearing the voice. That was all. 

I “ l/ookee hyur, stri nger ! Ole Zeb Stump from the State o’ Kintucky, air 
the individooal who's now speakin’ to ye. Ho ain’t one o’ thet sort ter bo 
trilled wi’. Don’t try to kum none o’ yer damfoolery over this hyur coon. 

I warn ye lo declur yur game. If ye’re jilayin possum, ye’d better throw 
up yur hand ; or by the jumpin’ Geehosophat, ye may lose both yur stake 
an’ yur curds ! Speak out now, afore ye gits plugged wi’ a piece o’ lead 1” 

; Less response than before. This time the horse, becoming accustomed to 
I the voice, only tossed up his head. 

i “ Then dog-gone ye!” shouted the hunter, exasperated by what he deem- 
ed an insulting silence. “Six seconds more — I’ll gio ye six more ; an’ ef 
ye don’t show speech by that time. I’ll let drive at yur guts. Ef ye’re but 
J a dummy it won’t do ye any harm. No more will it, I reckun, ef ye air 
'■ the devil. But ef ye’re a man playin’ possum, durn mo ef ye don’t desarve 
' to 1)6 shot lor bein sech a d — d fool. Sing out I” he continued with increas- 
ing anger, "sing out, I tell ye! Ye won’t? Then hyur goes! One— 
two — three — four — five — six !” 

Where “seven” shou!d have conie in, had the count been continued, was 
, heard the sharp crack of a rille, followed by the sibilation of a spinning 
I bullet; then the dull “thud” as the deadly missile buried itself in some 
^^lid body. 

' The only effect produced by the shot, appeared to be the frightening of 
vhe horse. The rider still kept his seat in the saddle! 

J It was not even certain the horse was scared. The clear neigh that ro 
sponded to the detonation of the rille, had something in it that sounded 
: derisive ! 

I For all that, the animal went off at a tearing gallop ; leaving Zeb Stump 
j a prey to the profoundest surprise he had ever experienced. 

After discharging his rille, he remained ui)on his knees, for a period of 
j several seconds. 

. If hi.s nerves were unsteady before the shot, they had become doubly so 
' now. lie was not only 8urprise<l at the result, but terrified. He was cer- 
I tain that his bullet passed through the man’s heart — or where it should be 
i — its sure ns if his muzzle hatl been held close to the ribs, 

! It could not ho a man ? Ho did not believe it to bo one ; and this thought 
' might have reassured him, but for the behaviour of the horse. It was that 
wild unearthly neigh, that was now chilling his blood, and causing his 
. limbs to shake, ns under an ague. 

^ Ho would have retreated ; but for a time, he felt absolutely unable to 
rise to his feet; and ho remained, kneeling, in a sort of stupified terror — 
watching the weird form till it ree-sle 1 out of sight far off over the moonlit 
) plain. Not till then did h.- recover sullicieut courage, to enable him to 
glide back down tlio gorge, and on towards tUviJnenle, 

i 

j 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


245 


And noi till ho was under its nK)f, did he feel sutTiciently himself, to re. 
fleet Wkh any calmness on the odd encounter that had occurre<l to him. 

It was some time b.'foro his mind became disabused of the idea that he 
had been dealing with tlio devil. Reflection, however, convinced him of 
the improbability of this ; though it gave him no clue as to what the thing 
really was. 

“ Surely,” muttered ho, his conjectural form of speech showing that ho 
was still undecided, “ Surely, arter all, it can’t bo a thing o’ the tothcr 
.'world — else I kedn’t a het^rn the eothug ’o my bullet ? Sartan, the bullet 
struck against somethin’ solid ; an’ I reck’n thur’s nothin’ solid in the kar- 
kige o’ a ghost ?” j 

“ Wagh !” ho concluded, aj)par«mtly resigning the attempt to obtain a so- 
lutiou of the strange physical phenomenon. “ Ijtd the durned thing slide 1 i 
One o’ two things it air boun’ to be : eyther a bunnel o’ rags, or olo Harry 
from h — 1 1” » 

* * * « * » * j 

As he entered the hut, the blue light of morning stole in along with 
him. It was time to awaken I’helim, that he might take his turn by the 
beduide of the invalid. The Gonnemara man, now throughly restored to 
sobriety, and under the impression of having been a little direlect in his 
duty, was ready to undertake the task. The old hunter, beforo consigning 
his charge to his successor, matle a dn^ssing of the scratches — av.ailing 
himself of the knowledge that a long experience had given him ’n the 
pharmaempia of the forest. The noitnl was near; and i(s juice in.spissated 
into the fresh wounds would not fail to eff'ct their sjacedy cure. Z.d) knew 
that in twenty-four hours after its application, they would be in i>roa!B8 of 
healing ; and in three days entirely cicatrized. With this confidence— com- ' 
mon to every denizen of the c.actu.s-covere 1 land of Mexico— he felt defiant f 
as to doctors ; and if a score of them could have been procured upon the in- 
stant, ho would not have summoned one. Ho was con\nnced that Maurice j 
Gerald was in no danger — at least not from his wounds. [ 

There was a danger ; but that was of a different kind. [ 

“ An’ now. Mister Phcelum,” said he, after nuakinga finish to hissurgi- j 
cal operations; “wo hev dud all thet kin bo dud for the outard man, an’ iyr 
air full time to look arter the innard. Ye say thur ain’t nuthin to eat?” f 
“ Not so much as a purtaty, Misther StumjL An’ what’s worse, thur’s n/ 
thin’ todhrink — not a dhrap left in the whole cyabin.” / 

" Durn ye, that’s yur fault,” cried Stump, turning upon the Irish^ 
with a savage scowl that showed equal regret at the announcement. “ iC 
hadn’t a been for you, thur war licker enough to a lasted till the youn^ 
fellur got roun’ agin. What’s to be dud now ?” 

“ Sowl, Misther Stump ! yez l>o wrongin’ mo althegither intirely. That I 
same yez are. I hadn’t a taste, excei'tin’ what came out av the flask. = 
It wa.s them Indyins that empti<td the dimmyjnn. Trath was it.” j 

" Wagh ! vo cudn’t a got drunk on what wur contained i’ the flask. 1 I 
know your dumed guts too well for thet. You must a had a good pull at j 
the tother, too.” i 

“ Be all the saints—” ' 


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* 240 


THB HEADLBSS IIOKSEHAK. 


' Durn yur Btinliln' saints I D’you s'poso any man o’ sense believes is 
sucli varmint m them ? 

j . ^Val tain t no use talkin’ any more Iwout it, Ye’ve sucked up the corn 

• juice, and thurs an end o’t. Thur ain’t no more to bo bed ’itliin twenty 
! mile, and wo must go ’ithout.” 

1 “ Be Jaysus that’s bad.” 

^ “ Sliet up yur head, dum ye, an’ liear wliat I’ve got to say. We’ll hev 

I to go ’itiiout drinkin’ ; but tliet air no rnozun for sturvin’ our8(dvcs for want 
I o somethin’ to cet. Tlie young follur, I don’t misdoubt, air by this time 

; halfsturved hisscif. Tliur’s no jniicli on his stummuk, I reck’n, though 

i thur may Ix) on his mind. As for mcself, I’m jest hungry enougli to eet a 

coyoat ; an’ I ain t very euro I’d turn away from turkey buzzart ; wliich, as 
I rcck’n, wud bo a w’usser victual than coyoat. But w^o ain’t obleged to eet 
I turkey liuzzart whar tliur’s a clianco o’ gettin’ turkey ; an’ tliet ain’t so 
dewhious along tlio Alamo. You stay hyur, an’ take care o’ tlio young feL 
lur wliilcs I try up the crik, an’ see if I kin kum acrosst a gobbler.” 

j “ I’ll do that Misther Stump, an’ no mistake. Bo mo trath ” 

1 " Keep yur palaver to yurself till I’ve finished talkin’ to ye.” 

• “ Sowl, I won’t say a word.” 

; “ Then don’t, but lissen 1 Tliur’s somethin’ ’bout wdiich I don’t want yo 

to make any mistake. It air this. Ef there shed anybody stray this way 
durin’ my alisince, let mo know. Ye musn’t lose a mlnit, o’ time, but let 
mo know.” 

“ Shuro I will — sowl, yis.” 

" Wal, I’ll depend on ye.” 

j " Trath, yez may but how, Misther Stump ? IIow am I to lit yea know, 

I if youro beyant bearin’ av mo v'oico? IIow thin?” 

I " Wal, I reck’n, I shan’t need to go so fur as thet. Thur ought to bo 
! gobblers cloast by — at this time o’ the mornin. 

•' An yit there moutent,” continued Zeb, after reflecting a while. "Ye 
ain’t got sech a thirg as a gun in the shanty ? A pistol ’ud do.” 

" Nayther wan nor the tother. The masther tuk both away wid him, 

' when ho went last lime to the sittlements. lie must have lift them thare.” 

I “ It air awk’ard. I mout not heer yur shout.” 

Zeb, who had by this time passed through the doorway, again stopped to 
. reflect. 

^ “ Heigh !” he exclaimed, after a pause of six seconds. " I’ve got it. I’ve 
T*M)d tno eydee. Yo see my olo maar, tethered out thur on the grass ?” 

V’ Shuro I do, Misther Stump. Av coorso I do.” 

\ Wal, ye see thet ere prickly cacktis plant growin’ cloast to the edge o’ 
.^ixsnin’?” 

Faith, yis.” 

y " Wal, that’s sensible o’ yo. Now lissen to what I say. Ye must keep a 
look out at the door ; an ef anylxKiy kums up whiles I’m gone, run straight 
•ustrut for the cacktis, cut off one o’ its branches — the thorniest ye kin see 
j — an’ stick it unner the maar’s tail.” 

I “ Mother av Moses ! For what div yez want me to do that ?” 

"Wal I reck’n I’d better explain,” said Zeb, reflect! ngly ; "otherwise 
I ye’ll be makin’ a mess o’ it.” 

i " Yo see, Phoelum, ef anybody enterlopes, durin’ my abeince 1 had better 


THB HEADLESS IIORSSMAK. 



( 


I 






% 





24-1 


be hyur. I ain’t agoin’ fur off. But howsomoJiver near, I raout’nt hear 
yer screecli ; thurfor the maar’s’ll do better. \ou clap tlie cacktis und«T 
her tail, cloast up to the fundament ; an’ of she don’t wiueal loud enuf to bo 
hern by me, then you may konkludo tliat this coon air eyther rubbed out, 
or hev both his lugs pluged wi picket pins. So, Phoelum ; do you ad- 
zactly as I’ve tolt yo.” 

I'll do it, bo Japers I” 

" Bo sure, now. Y ur master’s life may depend upon It.” 

After delivering t'nis luot caution, the hunter shouldered his long rifle; 
and walked away from the hut. 

“ He’s a cute owld chap, that same,” said Pheiim, as soon as ^b was out 
)f hearing. “ I wonder what he manes, by the masther bein’ in danger 
from any wan coinin’ to the caybin. He sed, that his life moight depend 
upon it ? Yes, ho sod that. 

" Ho towlt me to take a luk out. I suppose he maned mo to begin at 
wancc. 1 must go tho enthrence thin.” 

S ) saying, ho stepped outside the door ; and proceeded to make an occular 
inspection of the path by which tho jaeale might be approached. 

After completing this, ho returned to tho threshold ; and there took 
stand, in the attitude of one upon the watch. 

CHAPTER LVH. 


SODIfDINO THE SIGNAL. 

Phelim’s vigil was of short duration. Scarce ton minutes had he boon 
keeping it, when he became warned by tho sound of a horse’s hoof that 
some one was coming up tho creek in the direction of tho hut. His heart 
commenced hammering against his ribs. The frees, standing thickly, hin- 
dered him from having a view of tlie approaching horseman ; and he could 
not tell what sort of guest was alwut to pn*sent himself at tho yuak. But 
the hoof-stroke told him there was only cne ; and this it was that excitwl 
his apprehension. Ho would have been less alarmed to hear the trampling 
of a troop. Though well assured it could no longer be his master, he bad 
no stomach for a secon I interview with tho cavalier who so closely resem- 
bled him — in everything excejit the head. His first impulse was to rush 
across tho lawn, and carryout the scheme entrusted to him by Zeb. But 
the indecision springing from his fears kept him to his ])lace — long enough 
to show him that they were groundless. The strange horsenum had a 
head. 

“ Shure, an’ that same ho hez,” said Pheiim, os the latter rode out from 
among the tree.s, and halted on the edge of the opening ; “ raal hid, on’ u 
purty fece in front av it. An’ yit it didn’t show s<) plazed nayther. Ho 
luks as if he’d jist buried his grandmother. Sowl! what aquare young 
chap ho is, wid them tony mowstaches loike tho down upon a two day’s 
gosiin! O Lord I Luk at his little fut 1 Be Jaytus, he’* a weman !” 

While the Irishman was making these observations— partly in thought, 
in muttered speech — the equestrian advanced a pace or two, and again 
paused. 

On a nearer view of his visitor, Pheiim saw that he had correctly guess* 


? I .»* 


- • 17*^0 I'll 

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248 


TBB HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


1 

j ed tho sex ; though the moustache, the manner of the mount, the hat and 

i aerape, might, for the moment, mislead a keener intellect than his Colmey 

mara. 

i It teat a woman. Is was Isidora. 

i 

♦ ♦***• _**• 

It was the first time that Phelim had set eyes on the Mexican maiden—* 
i the first that hers had ever rested upon him. They were equally unknown 
! to one another. 

j He had spoken tho truth, when he said that her countenance did not dis- 
■ play pleasure. On tho contrary, tho expression upon it was sad — almost 
I disconsolate. 

I It had shown distrust as she was riding under tlie shadow of the trees. 

Instead of brightening as she came into the open ground, the look only 
. changed to one of iniugled surprise and di8apj)ointmont. 

. Neither could have been caused by her coming within sight of the jacale, 
I She knew of its existence. It was the goal of her journey. It must have 
^ been tho singular personage standing in the doorway. He was not the 
J man she expected to see there. 

} In doubt she advanced to addre^ss him : 

“ I may have made a mistake ?” said she, speaking in the best Americana 
she could command. “ Pardon mo, but I — I — thought — that Don Manrico 
lived here.” 

! •' Dan Marryshow, yez say ? Trath, no. Tharo’s nobody of that name 

I lives heeur. Dan Marryshow ? Tharo was a man they called Marrish had 
j a dwellin’ not far out av Ballyballagh. 1 remimber the chap will, bekase 
' ho cliated mo wanst in a horse thrade. But this nante wasn’t Dan. No ; it 
< was Pat. Pat Marrish was the name— devil burn him for a desaver !” 
j ” Don Maurico— Mor-rees — Mor-ess.” 

; "Oh! Maurice I Maybo ye’d bo after spakin’ av the masther — Misther 
J Qorrald !” 

• “ Si — Si ! Senor Zyerral.” 

! " Shure, thin, an’ if that’s fwhat ye’re afthor, Misther Gerrald diz dwill 

|i in this cyabin — that is, whin he comes to divart hisself, by chasin’ the wild 
1 horses. He only kapes it for a buntin’ box, ye know. Arrah, now ; if yez 
I cud only see the great big cyastlo he lives in whin he's at home, in owld 
I Ireland ; an’ the bewtiful crayther that’s now cryin’ her swato blue eyes 
f out, bekase he won’t go back thare. Sowl, if yez saw her 

* Despite its patois, Phelim’s talk was too well understood by her to whom 
1 it was addressed. Jealousy is an apt translator. Something like a sigh 
I escaped from Isidora, as he pronounced that little word “ her.” 

‘ " I don’t wish to see her,” was the quick rejoinder ; " but him you 

’ mention. Is he at home ? Is ho inside ?” 

' " Is ho at home ? Thare now, that’s cornin’ to the point — straight as a 

i poike staff. An’ supposin’ I wuz to say yis, fwhat ud yez be afther wantin’ 
vrid him?’ 

" I wish to see him.” 

" Div yez? Maybe now ye’ll wait till yez be asked. Ye’re a party cray- 
ther, notwithstandin’ that black strake Upon yer lip. But the masther isn’t 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


24'.1 


in a condishun jist at this time to see any wan — unices it was the praste oi 
a docthur. Yez cyant see him.” 

" But I wish very much to see him, senor.” 

•' 'rraith div vez. Ye’ve sayed that alriddy. But yez cyant, I tell ye. h 
isn’t Phaylim Onale ud deny wan av the fair six — espacially a purty biack. 
eye<i colleen loike yerself. But for all that yez cyant see the masther now.* 

Why c-in I not ?” 

“ Why cyant yez not ? W^ill — thare’s more than one rayson why yea 
cayn’t. In the first place, as I have towlt you, he’s not in a condishun to 
resave comjiany — the liss so, av its being a lady.” 

“ But why, senor ? Why ?” 

” Bekase he’s not daccntly drissocl. He’s got nothin’ on him but his 
shirt — exceptin’ the rags that Misther Stump’s jist tied all roun’ him. Bo 
japers there’s enough of them to make him a whole shoot — coat, waiscoat, 
and throwsers — trath is thare.” 

" Senor, I don’t understand you.” 

“Yez don’t? Shure an’ I've spoke plain enough! Don’t I till ye the 
masther’s in bid ?” 

" In bed ! At this hour ? I hope ther’s nothing — ” 

“The matther wid him ? yez were goin’ to say? Alannah, that same is 
there — a powerful dale the matther wid him — enough to kape him betwane 
the blankets for weeks to come.” 

" Oh, senor, do not tell hie that ho is ill ?” 

“ Don’t I tell ye. Arrah now, mo honey ; fwhat wud be the use av cou- 
salin it? It ud do it no good ; nayther cayn it do him any harm to spake 
about it ? Yez moight say it afore his face, an’ he won’t conthradict 
ye.” 

" Ho it ill, then. O, sir, tell me, what is the nature of his illness — what 
has caused it?” 

“ Shure an’ I evant answer only wan av thim interrogatories — the first 
yez hiv phut. His disaze pursades from some ugly tratement he’s been re- 
savin — the Lard only knows what, or who administhered it. He’s got a bad 
lig ; an’ his skin luks os if he’d been tied up in a sack along wid a score av 
angry cats. Sowl ! tharo’s not the breath av yer purty little hand widout a 
scratch upon it. Worse than all, he’s besoide his^lf.” 

“ Beside himself?” 

" Yis, that same. He’s ravin’ loike wan that had a dhrap too mnch over- 
night, an’ thinks thare’s tho man wid the poker afiher him. Be mo trath, 
I belave the very bist thing for him now ud be a trifle av potheen — if wan 
cud only lay bands upon that same. But thare’s not tho smell av it in the 
cyabin. Both the dimmy-jan an’ flask — . Arrah, now ; you wouldn’t be 
afther havin’ a little flask upon yer swate silf ? Some av that agwardinty, 
as yer people call it. Trath, I’ve tasted worse stuff than it. I’m shuro a 
dhrink av it ud do the masther good. Spake the truth, misthress I Hiv 
yez any about ye ?” 

" No, senor. I have nothing of tho kind. I am sorry I have not.” 

“ Faugh ! The more’s the pity for poor Masther Maurice. It ud a done 
him a dale av good. Wil ; he must put up widout it.” 

* But, senor ; surely I can see him ?” 

* DivU a bit. Besides fwhat ud bo the use T He wudn’t know ye fron) 


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lOiKXMiato*^ o > : 




250 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAK. 


hb great grandmother. I till yez agane, he’s been badly tlirated, an ’e 
now besoides hissolfl” 

“ All the more reason why I should see him. I may be of service. I 

owe him a debt — of — of — ’ i. i 

“ Oh ! yez be owin him something ? Yez want to pay it ? Faith, that 
makes it entirely different. But yez needn’t see him for that. I’m his liead 
man, and thransact all that sort av bizness for him. I cyant write myself, 
but i’ll f^lve ye a resate on the crass wid me mark — which is jistas good, 
among the lawyers. Yis, misthress ; yez may pay the money over to mo, 
an I oromiso ye the masther ’ll niverax ye for it agane. Trath 1 it 11 come 
handV jist now, as we’re upon the avo av a flittin, an may want it. So if 
yez have the pe’wther along wid ye, thar’s pins, ink, and paper insoide the 
cyabin. Say the word, an I’ll giv ye the resate I 

'• No no— no 1 I did not mean money. A debt of— of— gratitude. 

“Fauo-h! only that. Sowl, it’s eezy paid, an don’t want a resate. But 
yez needn’t return that sort av money now : for the masther woudn t be 
sinsible av fwhat ye wur sayin. Whin ho wmes to his smses, 1 11 till him 
yez hiv been heour, and wijiod out the score. 

“ Surely I can see him ?” 

“Sliurely now yez cyant.” 

“But I must, senor !” . * v, 

“ Divil a must about it. I’ve been lift on guard, wid sthrict ordhers to lit 

no wan go inside.” , , . , . , r ■ j 

“ They couldn’t have been meant for mo. I am his fnend — the friend of 

“How is Phaylum Onale to know that? For all yer purty face, yez 
moighi be his didliest innemy. BeJapers! its loiko enough, now that I 

take a second luk at ye.” t i n i.. 

“ I must see him — I must — I will— I sball ! 

As Isidora pronounced these words, she flung herself out of the saddle, 

and advanced in tho direction of the door. 

Her air of earnest determination combined with the nerw scarce 
feminine -expression upon her countenance, ^he Galwegian 

that the contingency had airived for carrying out the instructions left by 
Zoh Stump, and that ho had been too long neglecting his cue. 

Turning hurridly into the hut. ho came out again, armed with a toma- 
hawk. and was about to rush past, when he was brought to a sudden staml 
by seeing a pistol in tho hands of hL' lady visitor, pointed straight at his 

“ AbtjJj la harha (Down with the hatchet), she cried. " Leporo ! lift 
vour arm to strike mo and it will be for tho last time! . u 

“ Stroike ye, misthress ! Stroike you I” blubbered the et-rferan< steb^boy 
as soon as his terror permitU’d him to sp<?ak. “ Mother av e 
didn’t mane tho wapon for you at all. at all I I’ll sware it on * 

whole stack of av Bibles if yez say so. In trath, misthress ; I didn t mane 

^“Wh^hav^you Wought it forth?” inquired the l^y, 
that she had made a mistake, and lowering her pis^l as she became con- 
Tincod of it. “ Why have you thus amn*d yourself r 

“As I live, only'^to ixecuto tho onlhors, I ve resaved— only to cut s 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


251 


branch off av tho cyacktus yez sec over yander, an phut it undher the tail 
av the owld mare. Shuro yez won’t object to my doin’ that?” 

In her turn, the lady became silent — surprised at the singular proposition. 
The odd individual she saw before her, could not mean mi.'chiof. llis looks, 
attitude, and gestures were grotesque, rather than threatening ; provocative 
of mirth — not fear, or indignation. 

“ Silince gives consint. Thank ye,” said Pholim, ns, no longer in fear of 
being shot down in his tracks, ho ran straight across tho lawn, and carried 
out to tho letter, the parting injunctions of Zob ^lomp. 

Tho Mexican maiden hitherto held silent by surprise, remained so, on 
perceiving the absolute idleness of speech. Further conversation was out 
of the question. What with tho screaming of tho mare — continuous from 
the moment the spinous crupper was inserted under her tail — the loud 
trampling of her hoofs as she “ cavorted ” over tho turf — tho dismal how- 
ling of tlie hound — and the responsive cries of tho wild forest denizens — 
birds, beasts, insects, and reptiles — only tho voice of a Stentor could have 
been heard ! What could be the purpose of tho strange proceeding? tlow’ 
was it to terminate ? Isidora looked on in silent astonishment. She could 
do nothing else. So long as tho infernal fracas continued, there was no 
chance to elicit an explanation from the queer creature who had caused it. 
lie had returned to tho door of tho jacale ; and once more taken his stand 
upon tho threshold ; where ho stood, with the tranquil satisfied air of an 
actor who has completed the performance of his part in the play, and feels 
free to range himself among the spectators I 


CHAPTER LVIII. 

RECOILING FROM A KISS. 

For full ten minutes was tho wild chorus kept up, tho mare all tho time 
squealing like a stuck pig ; while tho dog rosimnded in a series of lugubri- 
ous howls, that reverlx'rated niong the cliffs on both sides of tho creek. 
To the distance of a mile might the sounds have been heard ; and ns Zeb 
Stump was not likely to be so far from tho hut, ho would bo certain to 
hear them. Convinced of this, and that the hunter would soon respond to 
the signal ho had himself arranged, Phelim stood square uyion tho threshold, 
in hopes that tho lady visitor would stay outside — at least, until ho should 
bo relieved of tho responsibility of admitting her. Notwithstanding her 
earnest protestations of amity, ho was still suspicious of some treasonable 
intention towards his master ; else why should Zeb have been so particular 
about being summoned back ? 

Of himself, ho abandoned the idea of offering resistance. That shining 
pistol still before his eyes, had cured him of all inclination for a qviarrel 
with tho strange equestrian ; and so far as tho Connemara man was con- 
•erned, she might have gone unresisted inside. 

But there was another from Connemara, who appeared more dctcrmine<l 
to dispute her passage to the hut— one whom a great battery of gun* 
would not have deterred from protecting its owner. This was Tara. 

The Btaghound was not acting ns if under the excitement of a mop' 
aeoselesa alarm. Mingling with his prolonged sonorous " growl’’ could 


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bo hoanl in repeated interruptions a quick sharp bark, that denoted anirer 
Ho h^ witnessed the altitude of the intruder — its apparent liostility — and 
drawing his deductions, liad taken stand directly in front of Phelim and 
the door, with the evident determination that neither should be reached 
except over his own body, and after running the gauntlet of his formidable 
incisors. 

Isidora showed no intention of undertaking the risk. She had none. 
Astonishment was, for the time, the sole feeling tliat iKJssesscHi her. She 
remained transfixed to the 8|)Ot, without attempting to say a word. She stood 
cxpectingly. To such an eccentric prelude tluro sliould be a correspond- 
ing Jinale. Perplexed, but patiently, she awaited it. Of her late alarm 
there wm nothing left. What she saw was too ludicrous to allow of ap- 
prehension ; though it was also uncomprehensible to elicit laughter. In 
the mien of the man, who had so oddly coiniwrted himself, there was no 
sign of mirth. If anything a show of seriousness, o<ldl_v contrasting with 
the comical act he had committed ; and which plainly proclaimed that he 
had not been treating her to a joke. The expression of helpless perplexity 
that had been fixed upon her features, continued there; until a tall man, 
wearing a faded blanket coat, and carrying a six-foot rifie, was seen strid- 
ing among the tree trunks, at the rate of ten miles to the hour. lie was 
making direct for ihejacale. At eight of the new comer her countenance 
underwent a change. There was now perc(»ptible upon it a shade of ap- 
prehension ; and the little pistol was clutched with n newc'd nerve by the 
delicate hand that still continued to hold it. The act was partly precau- 
tionary, partly mechanical. Nor was it unnatural, in view of the formidable- 
looking personage who was approaching, and the earnest excited manner 
with which he was hurrying forward to the hut. 

All this became altered, as he advanced into the open ground, and sud- 
denly stopped on its edge ; a look ol surprise quite as great as that upon 
the countenance of the lady, supplanting his earnest glances. 

Some exclamatory phrases were sent through his teeth, unintelligible in 
the tumult still continuing, though the gesture that accompanied them 
seemed to proclaim them of a character anything but gentle. 

On giving utterance to them, he turned to one side ; strode rapidly to- 
wards the screaming mare ; and, laying hold of her tail — which no living 
man save himself would have dared to do — ho released her from the tor- 
ments she had been so long enduring. 

Silence was instantly restored ; since the mare, abandoned by her fellow 
choristers, they became accustomed to her wild neighs, had been, for some 
time, ket'ping up the solo by herself. 

The lady was not yet enlightened. Her astonishment continued ; though 
a side glance given to the droll individual in the doorway told her, that he 
had successfully accomplished some scheme with which he had been en- 
trusted. 

Phelim’s look of satisfaction was of short continuance. It vanished, as 
Zob Stump, having effected the deliverance of the tortured quadruped, 
faced round to the hut - as ho did so, showing' a cloud! upon the corruga. 
tions of his countenance, darkly ominous of an angry storm. 

Even the presence of beauty did not hinder it from bursting. 

" Hum, an’ dog-gone ye, for a Irish eedyit I Air this what ye’ve brought 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


253 


me back for I An’ Jest as I wur tnkin’ sight on a turkey, not Icss’n tliirty 
poun’ weight, I reck’n ; skeeart afore I ked touch the trigger, wi’ the 

skreek o’ that cussed critter o’ a maar. D d little chance lor breakfust 

now.” 

“ But, Mistlier Stump, didtA yez till mo to do it ? Ye sid if any wan 
showld come to the cay bin — ” 

“ Bah ! ye fool ! Ye didn’t sorposo I meened weemen did ye ?” 

“ Trath 1 I didn’t think it wus wan, whin she furst presented hersilf. 
Yez siiowled a seen the way she rid up — siltin’ astraddle on her 
horse.” 

“ What mutter it, how sho wur sittin’l Hadn’t ye seed that b<>foro, yo 
greenhorn? It’s thur u8<K)aI why ’mong these hyur Mexikin sheemal^. 
Ye’re more o’ a woman than she air I guess ; an’ twenty times more o’ a 
fool, ’riiat I’m sartint o’. I know her a leetle by sight, and somethin’ more 
by rc'port. What hev fetcheil the critter hyur ain’t so difeeqnilt to com- 
prehend ; tho’ it may be to git it out o’ her, seein’ as she kin only talk thet 
thur Moxikin lingo ; tho which this chile can’t nor woudn’t ef ho 
kud.” 

“ Sowl, Misther Stump yez be mistaken. She spakes English too. 
Don’t ye, Misthress ?” 

Little Ingleea,” returned the Mexican, who up to this time had re- 
mained listening. ‘Tnglees poco pocito.” 

“O— ah 1” exclaimed Zeb slightly abashed at what he had been saying. 
“ 1 beg your pardin, saynoritta. Ye kin habla a bit o’ Amcrikin, kin yo? 
Mooc/m bom— bo much the better. Ye’ll Ixi able to toll me what ye mout a 
b<H*n wantin’ out hyur. Ye hain’ lost yer way, hev ye?” 

“ No, senor,” was tho reply, after a pause. 

” In that case, ye know whar yo air ?” 

•• Si, senor — si — yos, of Don Mauricio Zerrald, this the— house f’ 

'• 'riiot air the natne, as near as a Mexikin mouth kin make it, I reck’n. 
’Taint much o’ a house ; but it air his’n. Perhaps ye want to see tho mas- 
ter o’ it?” 

“ O, senor— yees— that is for why I here &m—por esta yo soy aqui.” 

“ Wal, I reck’n thur kin lie no objeeshun to yur seein' him. Yur inten- 
shuns ain’t noways hostile to tho young fellur, I kalkilate. But thur ain’t 
much good in yur talkin to me now. He won’t know yo from a side o' 
sole-leather.” 

” Ho is ill ? H.as met with some misfortune ? El gutro has said so.” 

" Yis. I towlt her that,” interposed Phelim, whoso carroty hair had 
earned for him the appellation El guero.” 

“ Sartin,” answenid Zeb. “ He air wounded a bit ; and jest now a lectio 
dulleerious. I reck’n it ain’t o’ much consekwence. H’ll bo hisself aginsoon’o 
the ravin fit’s gone off o’ him.” 

“ O, sir ! aan I be his nurse till then ? Por amor dios ! Let me enter and 
watch over him ? I am his friend — un amigo mny ajjieionadn.” 

“ Wal , I don’t see as thur’s any harm in it. Weemen makes tho best o’ 
nusses Pre hoern say ; tho’, for meself, I hain’t bed much chance o’ trvin’ 
e n sincst I kivere<l up my ’ole gurl under the sotis of Massissipl. Ef yo 
•■■ant to take a spell by the side o’ the young fellur, ye’re welkim — seein’ 
v dro his friend. Ye kin look arter him till we git back, an’ see th' t ho 


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254 


THE HEADLESS H0R8EMAV. 


don’t tummcl out o' the bed, or claw off them thur handiges, I’ve tied rouri 
him.” 

“ Trust me, good eir, I shall take every care of him. But tell mo what has 
caused it ? The Indians V No ; they are not near ? Has there been a 
quarrel with any one ?” 

“ In thet, saynoritta, ye’re beout ns wise as I air incself. Thor’s been a 
quarrell wi’ coyoats ; but that ain’t what’s fjin him the ugly knee. I foun’, 
him ycst(!rday, dost upon sun down, in the chnpparal beyont. When wo 
kirn ui>on him, he wur up to his waist in the water o’ a crik ns runs through 
thur, jest lx;out to be attakted by one o’ them spotty criters yur people 
call tigers. Wal, I relieved him o’ that hit o’ danger ; but what happened 
af*)ro air a mystery to me. The young ftdlur tuk Iceve o’ his senses, an’ 
ked gio no account o’ hissclf. Ho hain’t rokiverod them yet ; an’, thurforo, 
we must wait till ho do.” 

“ But your are sure, sir, he is not badly injured? His wounds — they are 
not dangerous ?” 

“ No danger whatsomediver. Nothin beyon’t a hit o’ a fever, or maybo 
a touch of the agey, when that goes off o’ him. As for the wounds, they’re 
only a wheen o’ scratches. When tho wanderin’ hov gone out o’ his senses 
he’ll soon kum roun, I reck’n. In a week’s time, ye’ll see him as strong as 
a buck.” 

“ Oh ! I shall nurse him tenderly !” 

” Wal, that’s very kind o’ you ; but — but ” 

Zeb hesitated as a queer thought came before his mind. It led to o 
train of reflections kept to himself. They were these: 

“ Tills air the same she, as sent them kickshaw to the tavern o’ Rough 
an’ Ready. Thet she air in love wi’ the young fellur ij clur as Massissippi 
mud — in love wi’ him to tho eends o’ her too nails. So’s tlie tother. But 
it air equally clur that he’s thinkin’ o’ the tother, an’ not o’ her. Now ef 
she hears him talk about to’ther, n.s he hev lieen a doin’ all o’ tho night, 
thur’ll be a putty consid’able rumpus riz inside o’ her busom. Poor thimr! 
I pity her. She aiut a bad sort. But tho Irish — Irish tho’ he be — can’t be- 
long to both; an’ I knoio he freezes to tho critter from the States. It air dom- 
ed aw’kwurd. Better ef I ked persuade her not to go near him — least- 
wise till he gets over ravin’ about I^ewaze. 

“ But, miss,” he continued, addressing himself to tho Mexican, who dur- 
ing his long string of reflections had stood impatiently silent, •' don’t ye 
think ye’d bettor ride homo agin ; an’ kum back to see him arter ho gits 
well. lie won’t know yo, as I've saved ; an’ it w’ould bo no use yur stayin’ 
since ho ain’t in any danger o’ makin a die of it” 

“ No matter that he may not know me. I should tend him all the 
same. He may need some things— which 1 can send, and procure for him.” 
“ Ef ye’re boun’ to stay then.” rejoinei Zeb, relentingly, as if some new 
\ thought was causing him to consent, ‘‘ I won’t interfere to say, no. But 
■ don’t you mind what he’ll be palaverin’ about. Ye may hear some queer 
' talk out o’ him, beout a man bein’ murdered, and the like. That’s natral 
for any one as is dulleerious. Don’t be skeeart at it. Beside, ye may bear 
him talkin’ a deal about a woman, as he’s got upon his mind.” 

I " A woman 1” 

j " Jest so. Ye’ll hear hear him make mention o’ her name.” 


THE HEADLESS HOUSEMAN. 


255 


** Her name ! Senor, what name ?” 

“ Wal, it air the name o’ his sister, I reck’n. Fact, I’m sure o’ it bein’ his 

“ Oh 1 Misther Stump. If yez be spakin’ av Masthcr Maurice—” 

" Shut up, yo durned fool ! What is’t to you what I'm siK-akin’ Iwout ? 
You can’t unerstan «»och things. Kum along!” ho continued, moving off, 
and motioning the Connemara man to follow him. “ I want ye k'ctle way 
wi’ me. 1 killed a rattle ns 1 wur goin’ up the crik, an’ left it thur. Kum 
you, an’ toat it back to the shanty hyur, lest some varmint may make way 
wi’ It ; an’ lest, arter all, I motmtn’t strike turkey agin.” 

“ A rattle. Div yez mane a rattle snake ?” 

“ An’ what shed 1 mean ?” , . . 

" Shure, Misther Stump, yez wudn’t ate a snake ? Lard 1 wudn’t it poison 
yez ?” 

“ Pisen bo dumed ! Didn’t I cut tho pisen out, soon’s I killed the critter, 
by cuttin’ off o’ its head ?” 

" Trath! an’ for all that, I wudn’t ate a morsel av it, if I was starvin’.” 

" Sturve, an’ bo dumed to ye I Who axes ye to cet it. I only want yo 
to toat it home, Kum then, an’ do as I tell ye ; or dog goned, ef I don't 
make ye eet the head o’ tho rejitile, — pise i, fangs an all I” 

“Be japers. Misther S.ump, I didn't mane to disolx^y you at all — at all. 
Shure its Phaylim O Nale that’s reddy to do your biddin’ anyhow. I’m 
wie yo for fwhativer yez want ; aven to swallowin tho snake whole. Saint 
Pathrick forgive me I” 

" Saint Patrick bo durned 1 Kum along 1” 

Phelim made no father remonstrance ; but, striking into the tracks of 
tho backswoodsraan, followed him through the wood. 

♦ a******* 

Isidora entered the hut ; advanced towards the invalid reclining upon 
his couch ; with fierce fondness ki>sed his fevered brow ; fonder and 
fiercer kissed his unconscious lips ; and then recoiled fnun them, as if she 
had been stung by a scorpion ! Worse than scorpion’s sting was that 
which had caused her to spring back. And yet ’twas but a word— a little 
word— of only two syllables! There was nothing strange in this. Dft, 
on one word— that soft short syllable “ It es ’’—rests the happiness of a 
life ; while off, too oft, the harsher negative is tho prelude to a world of 
woe I 


CHAPTER LIX. 

AUOTHBR WHO CANNOT REST 

A DARK day for Louise Poindexter — perhaps the darkest in the calender 
of her life— was that in which she released Don Miguel Diaz from tho 
lazo. 

Sorrow for a brother’s loss, with fears for a lover’s safety, were yestenlay 
commingled in the cup. To-day it was turther embittered by the blackest 
passion of all— jealousy Grief — fear— jealousy — what must lie tho staio 
•f the soul in which them emotion* are coexistent ? A tumult of imagin 


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0*(^«►*l«^^f^^^M« »fW ■i.j^ iP»J»4 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


2r)ft 

in;^. So was it in the bosom of Louise Poindexter after deciphering? the 
epistle which contained written evidence of lier lover’s disloyalty. “ True, 
the writing came not from him ; nor was the j)roof conclusive. But in the 
first burst of her frenzied rage, the young Crwde did not reason thus. In 
the wording of the letter there was strong presumption, that the relation- 
I ship between Maurice Gerald and the Mexican was of a more afifectionate 
character than he had represented it to be — that he had, in fact, been 
practising a deception. 

Why should that woman write to him in such free strain — giving bold, 
almost unfeininino, license to her admiration of his eyes: " Eso$ ojot tan 
Undos y tan espresivos 

These were no phrases of friendship ; but the expressions of a prurient 
' passion. As such only could the Creole understand them : since they were 
I but a paraphrase of her own feelings. 

I And then there was the appointment itself — solicited, it is true, in the 
shape of a request. But this was mere courtesy — the coquetry of an ac- 
complisbed maitresse. Moreover, the tone of solicitation was abandoned 
\ towards the close of the epistle ; which terminated in a positive command ; 
y “ Come, sir I come !” 

' Something more than jealousy was aroused by the reading of this. A 
[ spirit of revenge seemed to dictate the gesture that followed, — and the 
stray sheet was crushed between the aristocratic fingers into which it had 
fallen. 

“ Ah, mo I” reflected she, in the acerbity of her soul, “ I see it all now. 
’Tis not the first time ho has answered a similar summons ; not the first 
1 they have met on that same ground, ‘the hill above my uncle’s house’ — 
slightly described, but well understood — oft visited before.” 

Soon the spirit of vengeance gave place to a profound despair. Her 
heart had its emblem in tlio piece of paper that lay at her feet upon the 
floor — like it, crushed and ruined. 

For a time she surrendered herself to sad meditation. Wild emotions 
passed through her mind, suggesting wild resolves. Among others she 
} thought of her beloved Louisiana — of going back there to bury her secret 
■ .sorrow in the cloisters of the Sucre Caur. Had the Creole convent been 
near, in that hour of deep despondency, she would, in all probability,havo 
forsaken the paternal home, and sought an asylum within its sacred walls. 

In very truth was it the very darkest day of her existence. After long 
hours of wretchedness her spirit became calmer, while her thoughts re- 
turned to a more rational tone. The letter was re-read ; its contents sub- 
mitted to carehil consideration. There was still a hope — the hope that, after 
I all, Maurice Gerald might not be in the Settlement. It was at beat but a 
faint ray. Surely she should know — she who had penned the appointment, 
md spoken too confidently of his keeping it ? Still, as promised, he might 
liave gone away ; and upon this supposition hinged that hope, now scintil- 
^ lating like a star through the obscurity of the hour, 
i It was a delicate matter to make direct inquiries about — to one in the 
1 position of Louise Poindexter. But no other course appeared open to her • 

} and as the shadows of twilight shrouded the grass covered square of the 
Tillage, she was seen upon her spotted palfrey, riding silently through ths 


( 

! 

( 


THR HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


257 


streets, and reining up in front of the hotel — on the same sjKit occupied but 
a few hours before by the gray stwd of Isadora ! 

As the men of the place were all absent — some on the track of the assas' 
■in, others ujK)n the trail of the Coraauche, Oberdoffer was the only witness 
of her iudiscretiou. But he knew it not us such. It was but natural that 
the sister of the murdered man should bo anxious to obtain news; and so 
did ho construe the motive lor the interrogatories addressed to him. 

Little did the stolid German susix ct the satisfaction which his answers at 
, first gave to his fair que.stioner ; much leas the chagrin afterwards caused 
by that bit of information volunteered by himstdf, and which abruptly 
terminated the dialogue between him and his visitor. On hearing she was 
not t le first of her sex who had that day made inquiries respecting 
Maurice the muslanger, Louise Poindexter ’."ode back to Ca'^a del Corvo, 
with a heart writhing under fresh laceration A night was spent in the 
agony of unrest — sleep only obtained in short snatches, and amidst the 
phantasmagoria of dreamland. Though the morning restored not her 
tranquility, it brought with it a resolve, stern, daring, alinr«t reckless. It 
was, at least, daring, for Louise Poindexter to ride to the Alamo alone ; and 
this was her determination. There was no one to stay her — none to say 
nay. The searchers out all night had not yet return^. No report had 
come back to Casa del Corvo. She was sole mistress of the mansion, ns of 
her own actions — sole possessor of the motive that was impelling her to 
this bold step. 

But it may be easily guessed. Hers was not a spirit to put up with 
mere suspicion. Even love, that tames the strongest, had not yet reduced it 
to that state of helpless submission. Unsatisfied it could no longer exist ; 
and hence her resolve to seek satisfaction. She might find pt'ace — she 
might chance upon ruin. Even the last appoartKi preferable to the agony 
of uncertainty. How like to the reasoning of her rival ! 

It would have oeen idle to dissuade her, had there been any one to doit. 
It is doubt.ful, even if parental authority could at that moment have pre- 
vented her from carrying out her purpose. Talk to the tigress when 
frenzied by a similar feeling. With a love unhallowed, the will of the 
Eg> ptian queen was not more imperious than is that of the American Creole^ 
when stirred by its holiest p;ission. It acknowledges no right of contra- 
diction — regards no obstruction save death. 

It is a spirit rare upon earth. In its tranquil state, soft as the rays of 
the Aurora, jmre as the prayer of a child ; but when stirred by love— or 
rather by its too constant concomitant — it becx>mc8 proud and perilous as 
the light of Lucifer I 

Of this spirit Louise Poindexter was the truest type. Where love was 
the lure, to wish was to have, or perish in the attempt to obtain. Jealousy 
resting upon doubt was neither possible to her nature, or compatible with her 
existence. She must find proofs to destroy or confirm it — proofs stronger 
than those already suppli^ by the contents of the strayed epistle, which, 
after all, were only presumptive. 

Armed with this, she was in a position to seek them ; and they were to 
be sought upon the Alamo. 

• •••••• 




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25S 


THB HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


Tho first liour of sunrise saw her in the saddle, ridin(» out from th« 
enclosures of Casa del Corvo, and taking a trail across tho prairie already 
known to her. On passing many a siiot, endeared to her— sacred by some 
of tho sweetest souvenirs of her life— her thoughts experiencod more than 
one revulsion. These were moments when she forgot tho motive that 
originally impelled her to the journey— when she thought only of reaching 
the man she loved, to rescue him from enemies that might bo around 
him ! Ah ! these moments— despite tho apprehension for her lover’s safety 
—were happy, when compared with those devoted to the far more painful 
contemplation of his treachery. From the point of starting to that of her 
il stination, it wiw twenty miles. It might seem a Journey, to one used to 
r.urojiean travelling that is in the saddle. To the prairie equestrian it is 
a ride of scarce two hours — quick as a scurry across country, after a stag 

Even with an imwilling steed it is not tedious; but with that lithe, 
limbed, ocidlated creature, Luna, who went willingly towards her prairie 
homo, it was soon over, too soon, perhaps, for the happiness of her rider. 
Wretched ns Louiso Poindexter may have felt before, her misery had scarce 
reached the jioint of despair. Through her sadness there still shone a scin- 
tillation of hope. It was extinguished as she set foot upon the threshold 
of the jnetj/f ; and the quick su})pross» d scream that came from her lips, 
was like tho last utterance of a heart parting in twain. There teas a wo- 
man within the hut! From the lij>8 of this woman an exclamation had 
already escaped, to which her own had apjx'anxl an echo— so closely did 
one follow the other — so alike were they in anguish. 

Like a second echo, still more intimsified, was the cry from Isidora ; as 
turning, she saw in the doorway that woman, whoso name had just been 
pronounced — the “ Louiso” so fervently praised, so fondly remembered, 
amidst the vagaries of a distemjHjrcd brain. 

To the young Creole the case was clear — painfully clear. She saw l)efore 
her the writer of that letter of ay>pointment — which, after all, had been kept. 
In the strife, whose sounds had indistinctly reached her, there may have 
been a third party — Maurice Gerald ? That would account for tho condition 
in which she now saw him ; for she was far enough inside the hut to have 
a view of tho invalid u{)on his couch. 

Yes ; it was tho writer of that bold epistle, who had called Maurice Gerald 
“querido — who had praised his eyes — who had commanded him to come 
to her side ; and who was now by Ids side, tending him with a solicitude 
that proclaimed her his I Ah I the thought was too painful to bo symbol 
ize<i in syKJech. 

Equally clear were the conclusions of Isidora ; equally agonizing. She 
alreads knew that sho was supplanted. She had been listening too long to 
tho involuntary syKH^ches that told her so, to have any doubt as to their 
sincerity. On the door step stood the woman who had succeeded her 1 

Faice to face, with fioshing eyes, their bosoms rising and falling as if uiv 
der one impulse — both distraught with the same dire thought — tho two 
stood looking at each other. 

Alike in love with the same man — alike jealous— they were alongside 
the object of their burning passion unconscious of the presence of 
•tther I Fnrh believed the other successful : for Louise had not heard tho 


X22 iISADIiESC 


2r)a 


words that would have given her comfort— those wonls, yet “ 

needed it There are occasions when sy>eech is suya-rlluous, 

Ti felt' that this was one. It was a mutual encounter of tell pas.M( us , 
Ibat finiud exyiression only in the Hashing of eyes, and the scornful cur mg 

SS aim « cL. out, 

place forher! Both seemed equally intent on dey>arture--aliko “ 

forsakinrr the spot, that had witnessed the desolation of , 

gray home stood nearest-the mustang farther out. 

5iount-the first to move off; but as she passed, her rival had also got into 

saddle and was holding the ready rein. , . ..i 

Glances were again interchanged — neitiier triumphant, but nmther e, - 
Dressing forgiveness. Th,.t of tho Creole was a strange mixture of sadness, 
augoT and surprise; while the last look of Isidora, that accompamed a 
spiteful ” carajo!"—& fearful ydiraso from female lips— was such as the 
Ephesian goddess may have given to Athenaia, alter the award of ths 

apple. 


CHAPTER LX. 

A FAin INFORMER. 

If things physical may bo compared with things moral, no greater con- 
trast could have lx>en found, than tho bright heav.ms beaming over the 
Alamo and tho black thoughts in tho bosom of Isidora, as she hastcn.sl 
away from the jacale. Her heart was a focus of fiery passions, revenge 

predominating over all. ' i j j i 

In this there was a sort of demoniac pleasure, that hindered her from 
giving way to despair ; otherwise she might have sunk under tho weight 

Witirgloomy thoughts she rides under tho shadow of the trot>s. They am 
iiot less gloomy, as sho gazes up the gorge, and sees tho blue sky smiling 
c leerfully above her . Its cheerfulness seems meant but to mock her. 
.-file yiaases before making the ascent. She has reined up under the um- 
.ra<reous cypress— fit canoyiy for a sorrowing heart. Its sombre shade ayv 
iiears more desirable than tho sunlight above. It is not this that has 
. aosed her to pull up. There is a thought in her soul darker than the 
.sliadow of the cypress. It is evinced by her clouded brow ; by her bl ic«. 
eyebrows contracted over her black flashing eyes ; above all. by an 
sion of fierceness in the contrast of her white teeth gleaming under lh« 
moustached lip 






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f|» Ml VI* vi-^i • (•W 



THE HEADLESS HOK6EMAN. 


i eoo 

All that is (food of woman oxcojH bcauiy, seems to have forsaken all 

that 18 bad, except ujflineea, to have taken jiossessiou of her! 

; , pau8(Ki at the promptinff of a demon— with an infernal purpose 

, half formed in her mind. Her muttered speeches proclaim it. 

“ I should have killed her upon the spot I Shall I go backj and daro her 
to deadly strife? 

1 “If I killed her, what would it avail? It would not win mo back hit 
I heart lost, lost, without hope! Yes; those words were from the secret 

depths of his soul ; where her image alone has found an abidino’ place 1 
Oh I there is no hope for me ! “ 

“ ’Tis ho who should die ; ho who has caused my ruin. If I kill him ? 

I Ah. then ; what would life be to me ? From that hour an endless anguish I 

“Oh I it is anguish now I I cannot endure it. I can think of no solace 

I —if not in revenge. Not only she, he also— Iwth must die I 

; “ But not yet — not till ho know, by whos hand it is done. Oh I ho shall 

' feel his punishment, and know whence it comes. Mother of God 

■ 8tren(fthen me to take vengeance I” 

V She lances the flank of her horse, and spurs him, up the slope of the 
i ravine. On reaching the upi)er plain, she does not stop -even for the 

I animal to breathe itself— but goes on at a reckless gait, and in a direction 

i that appears undetermined. Neither hand nor voice are exerted in the 

: guidance of her steed— only the spur to urge him on. Left to himself, ho 

; returns in the track by which he came. It leads to the Leona. Is it the 

, way he is wanted to go? Ilis rider seems neither to know or care. She 

j sits in the saddle, as though she were part of it ; with head bent down, in 

j the attitude of one absorbed in a profound reverie, unconscious of outward 
things— even of the rude pace at which she is riding! She does not ob- 
, ^rve that black cohort close by ; until warned of its proximity by the snort- 

j ing of her steed, that suddenly comes to a stand. She sees a cahaUada out 

; ujx)n the open prairie I Indians ? No. White men — less by their colour, 

! than the caparison of their horses, and their style of equitation. Tlieir 

1 beards, too, show it ; but not their skins, discolour^ by the “ stoor ” of the 

I parclied plain. 

“ Los Tejanot !" is the muttered exclamation, as she becomes confirmed 
in reganl to their nationality. 

j “ A troo]) of their rangers scouring the country for Comanches, I suppose? 

The Indians are not here ? If I’ve heard aright at the Settlement, they 
; should be far on the other side.” 

j Without any strong reason for shunning them, the Mexican maiden has 
; no desire to encounter “ Los Tejanos.” They are nothing to her, or her 
; pur, loses ; and, at any other time, she would not go out of their way. But 
] in tins hour of her wretchedness, she does not wish to run the gauntlet of 
j their questionings, nor become the butt of their curiosity. 
j It Is possible to avoid them. She is yet among the bushes. They do 
not appear to liave observed her. By turning short round, and diving back 

■ into the chapparal, she may yet shun being seen. She is about to do so, 
when the design is frustrated by the neighing of her horse. A score 

' of theirs respond to him ; and he is seen, along with his rider. It 
' might be still possible for her e.scape the encounter, if so inclined. She 
I would be certain of being purstuid, but not so sure of being overtaken-' 


THE HEADLESS HORSE.MAK. 


20 1 




especially among the winding ways of the chapparal, well know* to her 
At first she is so inclined ; and completes the turning of her steed. Almost 
in the same instant, sho reins round again ; and faces the phalanx 
of horsemen, already in full gallop towards her. Her muttered words pro. 
claim a purpose in this sudden change of tactics. 

" Hangers — no! Too well dressed for those ragged ragabundosi Must 

be tho part}’ of ‘searchers,’ of which Fve heard— led by the lather of 

Ye.s — yes it is they, Bios ! here is a chance of revenge, and without my 
seeing it ; God wills it is to be so !” 

Instead of turning back among the bushes, she rides out into the ojksii 
ground ; and witli an air of bold determination advances towards the horse- 
men, now near. She pulls up, and awaits their approach ; a black thought 
in her bosom. In another minute she is in their midst — the mounted circle 
close drawn around her. There are a hundred horsemen, oddly armed, 
grotesquely attired — uniform only in the coating of clay-coloured dust 
which adheres to their habiliments, and the stern seriousness observable in 
the bearing of all; scarce relieved by a slight show of curiosity. Though 
it is an entourage to cause trembling — especially in a woman — ^Isidora does 
not betray it. She is not in the least alarmed. She anticipates no danger 
from those who have so unceremoniously surrounded her. Some of them 
she knows by sight ; though not the man of more than middle ago. who 
npjxiars to bo their leader, and who confronts, to question her. But she 
knows him otherwise. Instinct tells her he is the father of the murdered 
man — of tho woman, she may wish to see slain, but assuredly, shamed. 
Oh ! what an opportunity I 

“ Can you speak French, mademoiselle ?” asks Woodley Poindexter, ad- 
dressing her in this tongue — in the belief that it may give him a better 
chance of being understooii. 

“ Speak better Inglees — very little, sir.” 

" Oh ! English. So much the better for us. Tell me, miss ; have you 
seen anybody out liere — that is — have you met any one, riding about, or 
camped, or halted anywhere ?” 

Isidora appears to reflect, or hesitate, before making reply. 

The planter pursues the interrogative, with such politenoes lui the cir- 
cumstances admit. 

“ May I ask where you live ?” 

" On tho Rio Grande, senor ?” 

“ Have you come direct from there f* 

” No ; from the Leona.” 

From the I^eona ?” 

” It’s the niece of old Martinez," interposes one of the party. “ His 
plantation joins yours. Mister Poindexter.” 

“ Si — yes — true that. Sobrina — niece of Don Silvio Martinez. To toy’* 

“ Then you’ve come from his place, direct ? Pardon me for appearing 
rude. I assure you, miss, we are not questioning yon out of any idle 
curiosity, or impertinence. We have serious reasons — more than serious : 
they are solemn.” 

” From the Hacienda Martinez direct,” a'bswers Isidora, without appear 
ing to notice tho last remark. " Two hours ago— un petcUo mat — my ancle’s 
Jiouee I leave.” 




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£Q2 


THE HEADLESS HORSKMAlf. 


" Then, no doubt, you nave lieard that there has been a — murder— <oni 
mitted ?” 

“ Si, senof. Yesterday at uncle Silvio’s it was told.” 

“ But to-day — when you left — was there any fresh news in the Settlement! 
We’ve had word from there ; but not so late as you may bring. Have jot 
heard anything, miss?” 

*• That people werre gone after the a$csinado. Your party, senor?” 

“ Yes — yes — it meant us, no doubt. You heard nothing more ?” 

“ Oh, yes ; something very strange, senores ; so strange, you may think 
1 am jesting.” 

“ What is it?” inquire n score of voices in quick simultaneity ; while the 
eyes of all turn with eager interest towards the fair equestrian. 

There is a story of one being seen without a head— on horseback — out 
here too. ValgamcDm! we must now be near the place? It was by the 
Nueci‘8 — not far from the ford — where the road crosses for the liio Qranda 
So the vaqueros said.” 

“ Oh ; some vaqueros have seen it?” 

“ Si, senores ; three of them will swear to having witnessed the spectacle.” 

Isidora is a little surprised at tho moderate excitement which such a 
strange story causes among the " Tejanos.” There is an exhibition of in- 
terest. but no astonishment. A voice explains : 

“ We’ve seen it too — that headless horseman — at a distance. Did your 
vaqueros get close enough to know what it was ?” 

“ Sautissiina ' no.” 

” Can you tells us, miss ?” 

“ I ? Not I. I only heard of it, as I’ve said. What it may be, (iu\tn 
)ab> r 

There is an interval of silence, during which all appear to reflect on 
what they have heard. 

The planter interrupts it, by a recurrence to his oririnal interrogator} 

“ Have you met, or seen, any one, miss— out here, I mean ?” 

“ Si— yea — I have.” 

You have 1 What sort of person ? Bo good enough to desenbo— 

’• A lady.” 

” Lady !” echo several voices. 

" Si, senores.” 

" What sort of a lady ?” 

*' Una Americana.” 

“ An American lady !— out here t Alone t* 

” Si, senores.” 

“ Who?” 

'• Qukn Sabe ?” 

" You don’t know her ? What was she like r 

“ Like ?— like?” 

" Yes ; how was she dressed ?’' 

*‘Ve4tido de Cnballo.” 

” On horseback, then Y ’ 

* On horseback.” 

“ Where did you meet tho lady you speak of Y’ 

' Not far from this ; only on tho other side of .the chapparaL* 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


2G3 









“ Which way was she going ? Is there any house on tho other side 7" 

" A jaeale ! I only know of that. ' 

Poindexter to one of tho party, who understands Spanish •. " A jacaUl” 

" They give that name to their shanties.” ! 

” To whom does it belong — thia JacaU ?” ' 

“ Don Mauricio el muslenero.” 

“ Maurice the mustanger!” translates the ready interpreter. 

A murmur of mutual congratulation runs through the crowd. After 
two days of searching — fruitless, as earnest — they have struck a trail, — the 
trail of the murderer ! I 

Those who have alighted spring back into their saddles. All take up I 
their reins, ready to ride on. 

“ We don’t wish to be rude. Miss Martinez — if that be your name ; but ! 
you^must guide us to this place you speak of.” | 

“ It takes me a little out of my way— though not far. Como on, cavallo- i 
ros! I shall show you, if you are determined on going there.” . ' 

Isidora re-crosses the belt of chapparal — follow^ by the hundred horse- 
men, who ride stragglingly after her. ' 

She halts on its western edge ; Ixttween which and tho Alamo there is a 
stretch of op»*n prairie. j 

“ Yonder I” says she, pointing over the plain • " you see that black spot 
on tho horizon? It is tho top of an alhuehuete. Its roots are in tho bottom 
lands of tho Alamo. Go there ? There is a canon leading down tlie cliff. De- 
scend. You will find, a little beyond, the jaeale of which I’vo told you.” 

The searchers are too much in earnest to stay for further directions. Al- 
most forgetting her who has given them, they spur off across the plain, 

•iding straight for the cypress. One of the party atone lingers — not the 
leader, but a man equally interested in all that has transjtiro.! Perhaps 
more so, in what has been said in relation to the lady seen by Isidora. Ho 
is one who knows Isidora’s language as well as his own native tongue. 

“ Tell me, nina,” says he, bringing his horse alongside of hers, and speak- 
ing in a tone of solicitude — almost of entreaty — “ Did you take notice of 
the horse ridden by this lady 1” 

“ Carrambo ! yes. What a question, cavallero 1 Who could help notic- 
ing it ?” • s 

“ The color ?” gasps the inquirer. 

" Un musteno pintqjo” 

“A spotted mustang I Holy Heaven!” exclaims Cassius Calhoun, !n a 
lialf shriek, half groan, as ho gallops after tho searchers, leaving Isido.'u in 
tho belief, that, besides her own, there is one other heart burning \yitli 
that fierce fire which only death con extinguish. 

CHAPTER LXI. 



ANGELS ON EABTH. 

The retreat of her rival, quick an<l unexpected, held Louise Poindexter, 
as if spell bound. She had climbed into tho saddle, and was seated, with 
spur ready to pierce the flanks of the fair Luna. But tho stroke was sus- 
pended, and she remained in a state of indecision — bewildered by what 






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2C4 


rut HEADLESS HOKSEMAK. 


fho saw. But the moment she had lookt-d into tlio jrreale—htKd seen Iiet 
rival there apparecilj at liomc ; mistress botli of the mansion and its 
owner. V\ hat was she to think of tliat sudden desertion? Why that look 
of spiteful hatred ? Why not the imperious confidence, that should spring 
t^rom a knowledge of jiossession ? In place of giving displeasure, Isidora’s 
looks and actions had caused lier a secret gratification. Instead of gallop, 
ing after, or going in any direction, Ixiuiso Poindexter once more slipped 
down from her saddle, and re-entered tho but. 

At sight of tho pallid checks and wild rolling eyes, the young Creole for 
the moment forgot her wrongs. 

" Mm dieu! Mon dic.u !’’ she cried, gliding up to the eatr». '< Maurice— 
wounded — dying I Who has done this ?” 

There was no reply: only tho mutterings of a madman. 

“Maurice! Maurice? speak to me! Do you not know me ? Louise! 
Your Louise! You have called me so? Say it. O say it again I” 

"You are very beaufiful, you angels hero in heaVen 1 Very beautiful 
les, yes ; you look so— to the eyes— to tho eyes. But don’t say there are 
none like you upon Earth ; for there are— there are. I know one— ah 1 
more — but one that excels you all, you angels in heaven I I mean in 
beauty— in goodness, that’s another thing. I'm not thinking of goodness- 
no; no.’’ 

"Maurice, dear Maurice I Why do you talk thus? You are not in 
heaven 1 you are here with me — with your Louise." 

“lam in heaven ; yes in heaven I I don’t wish it for all they say : that 
is, unless I can have her with me. It may be a pleasant place. Not with- 
out her. If she were here I could be content. Hear it ye, angels, that 
come hovering around me. Very beautiful you are, I admit ; but none of 
you like her^her- my angel. Oh ! there’s a devil, too ; a beautiful devil 
— no I don’t mean that. I’m thinking only of tlie angel of the prairies. ’’ 

" Do you remember the name Y ’’ 

Perhaps never was question put to a delirious man, where the question- 
er show^ BO much interest in the answer. 

Sho bent over him wdth ears ujxm tho strain, with eyes that marked every 
movement of his lips. 

“ Name ? name? Did some one say name ? Have you any names here ? 
Oh ! I remember — Michael, Gabriel, Azrael — men, all mem Angels, not 

like my angel — who is a woman. Her name is” 

“ Is?" 

“ Louise — Louise — Louise. WTiy should I sonccal it from you — you up 
here, who know everything that’s down rtiere? Surely you know her — 
Louise? You should: you could not help loving her — ah! with all your 
hearts, as I with all mine — all — all I’’ 

Not when these last words were once before spoken— first spoken under 
the shade of the acacia trees — the speaker in full consciousness of intellect — 
in the full fervor of bis soul — not then were they listened to with such 
delight. O, happy hour for her who heard them I Again were soft kisses 
lavished upon that fi-vered brow — upon those wan lips ; but this time by 
one who had no need to recoil after the contact. She only stood up erect — 
triumphant ; her hand pressing upon her heart, to stay its wild pulsations 
It was pleasure too complete, too ecstatic : tor there was pain in the thought 


! 

1 





i 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 2G5 

that it could not bo folt for ever — in the fear of its beingtoo soon interrupted 
The last was but the shadow thrown Iwfore, and in such shape it apjicared, 
a shadow that came darkling through the doorway. 

T he substance that followed was a man ; who, tho moment after, was 
seen standing ui>on the stoup. There was nothing terrible in the aspect of 
the new comer. On the contrary, his countenance and costume were types 
of the comical, heigh’ened by contrast with tho wild a-ssociations of the 
time and place. Still further, from jiixtaiiosition with the oild objects 
carried in his hands ; in one a tomahawk ; in the other a huge snako ; with 
its tail terminating in a string of Ix-ad-like rattles, that Ix'tmyi-d its sjiecica 
If anything could have added to his air of grotesque drollery, it was tho ex- 
pression of puzzled surprise that came over his countenance ; a-s, stepjiing 
upon the tlireshold, ho discovered the change that had taken place in the 
occupancy of the hut. “ Mother av Moses!’’ he exclaimed, dropj>ing Imth 
snake and tomahawk, and opening his eyes as wide os the lids would allow 
them ; “ Shuro I must be dhramin ? ’frath must I I It cyant be yersilf. 
Miss Pointdixther ? Share now it cyant ?’’ 

“ But it is, Mr, O’Neal. How very ungallant in you to have forgotten mq 
and so soon !’’ 

“ Forgotten yez ! Thrath, miss, yez neeiln’t accuse mo of doin’ tliat which 
is intirely impossible. The Oirishman that lez wanco looked in yer swato 
face will bo undher tho neo'ssity iver afther to remimber it. SowlI thar's 
wan that cyant forgit it, even in his dhrames !’’ 

'fho speaker glanced signifi 'antly towards tho couch. A delicious thrill 
passed through tlio bosom of the listener. 

“ But fwhat diz it all mane ?’’ continued Phelim, returning to tho unex- 
plained puzzle of tho transformation. “ Fware’s the tother — tho young 
chap, or lady, or wuman — whichs omiver sho arr ? Did’nt ye* see nothin' 
av a wuman. Miss Pointdixther ?’’ 

“ Yes — yes.” 

“ Oh ! yez did. An fwhero is she now ?” 

" Gone away, I believe.” 

“ Gone away I Be japers, thin, sho hasont remained long in tho wan 
mind. I lift her heour in the cyabin not tin minnits ago, takin’ afl' her 
bonnit — that was only a man’s hat — an’ sittlin’ hersilf down for a stay. 
Gone, yez say ? Sowl I I’m not sorry to hear it. That’s a young lady 
whose room’s betther than her company, any day in the twilmonth. She’s 
a dale too handy wid her shootin’-iron. Wud yez belave it. Miss Point- 
dixther; sho prisinted a pistol widin six inches av mo nose?” 

“ Pardicu! For what reason?” 

“ Fwat rayzun? Only that I thried to hindhor her from intrudin’ into 
the cyabin. She got in for all that ; for whin owld Zeb como back, ho 
made no objeeshun to it. She sayod she was a frind av tho masther, an’ 
wanted to nurse him.” 

“Indeed! Oh! it is strange — very strange I” muttered the Creole, re- 
flectingly. 

“ Trath, is it. And so is iverything in these times, exciptin’ yez own 
■wate silf ; that I hope will niver be sthrange in a cyabin frequinted by 
Phaylim Onale. Shure, now. I'm glad to see yez, miss ; an’ shuro so wud 
the masther, if—” 



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2G6 


TUB HEADLESS HORSElfAV. 


" Dear Phelim ! tell me nil tliat has happened, 

“ Trath I thin miss, if I’m to till nil, yo’ll hiv to take off your bonnet, and 
make up your moind for a long stay — seein’ as it ’ud take the big ind av a 
whole day to relate all the quarc things that's happened since the day afore 
yesthirday. " 

“ Who has been hero since then ?” 

" W'ho has been hoeur ?” 

“ Except the — the ” 

“ Exceptin the man-wuman ye mane 7” 

“ Yes. lias any one else been to this place ?” 

“ Trath has thare— plinty beaoides. An av all sorts, and colours too. 
First and foremost there was wan cornin’ tlus way, though ho didn’t git all 
the way to the cyabin. But I daren’t tell you about him, for it moight 
frighten ye, miss.’’ 

“ Tell mo. I have no fear.” 

” Bo dad 1 and I can’t make it out meself quite intirely. It was a man 
upon horseback witdout a hid.” 

” Without a head !” 

“ Divil a bit av that same on his body.” 

The statement caused Phelim to be suspected of having lost his. 

” An’ what’s more, miss, he was for all the world like Masther Maurice 
aimself. Wid his horse undher him, an’ his Mexican blancket about his 
ehowldors, an’ ev<Ty thing just ns the young masther looks, whed he’s 
mounted. Sowl 1 wasn’t I scared, whin 1 sit my eyes on him.” 

“ But where did you see this, Mr. O’Neal ?” 

“ Up thare on the top av the bluff. I was out lookin’ for the masther to 
come back from the Sittlement, as he’d promised he wud that mornin’, an’ 
who showld I see but hisself, as I supposed it to bo. An’ thin ho comes 
ridin’ up, widout his head, an’ stops a bit, an’ thin go<*8 off at a tarin’ gallop 
wid Tara gowlin’ at his horse’s heels, away acrass the big plain, till I saw- 
no more nv him. Then I made back for the cyabin heeur, an’ shut meself 
up, and wint to slapo ; and just in the middle av me dhrames, whin I was 

dhramin’ av but tratli, miss, yez’ll be toired standin’ on yer feet all 

this time. Won’t yez take aff yer purty little ridin’ hat, and sit down on 
the thnmk thare ?— it’s asier than the stool. Do plaze take a sate ; for if 

I’m to tell yez all ” . i • ■ v -j 

“ Never mind me — go on. Please tell me who else has been here besides 
this strange cavalier ; who must have been some one playing a trick upon 

you, I supiiose.” ‘ ' , j „ 

“ A thrick, miss I Trath that’s just what owld Zeb sayed. 

“ He has been here, then ?” 

« Yis— yis— but not till long afther the others.” 

“ The otliers ?” . . mi. v • ^ 

” Yis, miss. Zeb only arroived yestherday mamin . The others paid 
their visit the night afore, an’ at a very unsayzonabie hour too, wakin’ me 
out av the middle av my slnpe.” 

" But who ?— what others ?” 

"Why the Indyens, to bo shure.” 

" There hove bwn Indians, then ?” 

"Trath was there — a whole tribe av thlm. Well, as I’ve been tillin' 


( 


i 





THE HEADLESS HORSEMAV. 2G’} 

yez, miss, jest as I wus In a sonn’ slapo, I heerd talkin’ in the cyabin he<irn 
riglit over my hid, an’ the shufflin’ av paper, as if somebody was dolin’ a 
pack av cards, an Mother av Moses I fwhat’s that ?” 

“ What?” 

*• Didn’t yez heear somethin’ 7 Wheesht I Thare it is agane I Trath' 
it’s the trampin’ av horses ! They’re jist outside.” 

Plielim rusluKi towards the door. 

“ Ho Sunt I’athrick ! the place is surrounded wid men on horseback. 
Tliaro’s a thousand av them 1 an’ more cornin' behind 1 Bo japers ! them’s 

tlie chaps owld Zeb Now for a frisb spell av squeelin I O Lard I i’ll be 

PK) lato !” 

Sidztng the cactus-branch — that for convenience ho had brought inside 
the hut — he dashed through the doorway. 

“ Mon Dieu cried the Creole, " tis they I My father, and I here I How 
shall I explain it? Holy Virgin, save mo from shame 1” 

Instinctively she sprang towai^ the door, closing it, as she did so. But 
a moment’s reflection showed her how idle was the act. They who 
tvore outside would make light of such obstruction. Already she re- 
cognized the voices of the Regulators ! The opening in tl e skin wall 
came under her eye. Should she make a reireat through that, un- 
dignified as it might be. It was no long»*r possible. The wuind of hoofs 
also in the rear ! There was a horseman behind the hut I Besides, her 
own steed was in front — that ocellated creature not to be mistaken. By this 
time they must have identified it! But there was another thought that 
restrained her from attempting to retreat — ono more generous. Hi was in 
danger — from which even tho uncon-sciousness of it might not shield him ! 
Wlio but she could protect him 7 “ Let my good name go!” thought she. 

“ Father — friends — all — all but him, if God so wills it I Shame, or no 
shame, to him will I be true !” As these noble thoughts passed through her 
mind, she took her stand by the bedside of tho invalid, like a second Dido, 
resolved to risk all— even death itself — for the hero of her heart. 


CHAPTER LXII. 

Vtaitino fob the cub. 

Never, since Us erection, was there such a trampling of hoofs aronnd the 
hat of tho horse catcher — nor even when its corral was filled with fresh- 
taken mustangs. Phelim rushing out from tho door, is saluted by a scorn 
of voices that summon him to stop. Ono is hoard louder than the rest, and 
in tones of command that proclaim the speaker to be chief of the party. 

“ Pull up, d — n you 1 It’s no use — ^your trying to escape. Another step, 
and yo’ll go tumbling in your tracks. Pull up, I say 1” 

The command takes effect upon the Connemara man, who has been 
making direct for Zeb Stump’s mare, tethered on the other side of tho 
opening. He stops upon tho instant. 

*' Shure, gintlemen, I don’t want to escayape,” asseverates he, shivering 
at the sight of a score of angry faces, and tho same number of gun- barrels 
beanng upon his person : " I had no such iniinshuns. I was only 
goin’ to ” 






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208 


Tns IIEADLEsa nOKSEMAK. 


“’Run off, if Te’d pot the chnnco. Ye’d made a good b« jLinninp. Her(\ 
Pick Tracey! half-a dozen turns of jour trail-rojio round him. Uiud a 

Land, Shelton! D d qucer-lookinp curse he is! Surely, gentlemen. 

this cau’t bo the man we’re in search of?” 

“ No, no ! it isn’t. Only his man John.” 

•• Ho ! hilloa, you round there at the back ! Keep your eyes skinm-d 
Wo haven’t got him yet. Don’t let as much as a cat creep past you. Now, 
sirree ! who’s inside ?” 

” Who’s insoide ? The cyabin div ycz mane Y 

« p n yc [ answer the question that’s put to yol’ says Tracey, giving 
his nriaoner a touch of the trail-rope. “ Who’s inside the shanty ?’ 

•• O Lard ! Needs must whin the divvel dhrives. Wil, then, thares the 
1 for wun ** 

*”“lIo! what’s this?” inquires Woodley Poindexter, at this moment, riding 
up, and seeing the spotted mare. " Why— it— it’s Lotxiy s mustang! 

“ It is, uncle,” answers Cassius Calhoun, who has ndden up along with 

him. , , , 1 Of 

I wonder who’s brought the beast bore r 

“ Loo herself, I reckon.” 

“ Nonsense ! You’re jesting. Cash ? 

“ No, uncle ; I’m in earnest.” , , , - ' 

“ You mean to say my daughter has been here T 
“ lias been — still is, I take it.” 

“ Iiupoasiblo !” 

“ Ijook yonder, then !” , , r . • 

The door has j ust been opened. A female form is seen inside. 

“ Coo<l (iod, it is my daughter !” , , * i r i 

Poindexter drops fmni his sad.llo, and hastens up to the hut— close fol- 
lowed by Calhoun. Both go inside. , r u TWvV” 

“ Louise, what moans this ? A wounded man! Is it "^y ? 

Before an answer can be given, his eye falls upon a cloak and hat- 

Henrv’s! 

“ It is ; he’s alive I Thank heaven ! 

He strides towards the couch. 

The joy of an instant is an instant gone. The pale face upon the 
Pillow is not that of his son. The father staggers back with a groan. 

^ tiniouS seems equally effected. But the cry from him is an exclamation 
of horroJ rfter which he slinks cowed-like out of the cabin. . 

“Great’ God!” gasps the planter; “ whtU is it? Can you explain, 

^'^“i"‘<inot. father. I’ve been here but a few minutes. I found him as 
you see. He is delirious. 

-• Titat'tuld" ml’ nothing. Mr. Gerald was alone when ’I ente^ 
'Fhe m^ outside was absent, and has just returned. I have not had time 

to question him/' i v 

R,it but how came you to bo hero i x • ^ - 

r Mold oot M homo. I could not end.^ the unM^inty .M 
lons'ir It \»o« terrible— niono. 'rith no one at tho hooeo; and the thought 
:!iat my poor brother — Mon dicu ! Mon dieu ! ^ 


THK nKAPLESS HORSEMAW. 


2f5d 

Poindexter regards his daughter with a perplexed, but still inquiring, 
look. 

“ I thought I might find Henry hero.” 

“ Here ! But how did you know of this place ? Who guided you? Yoa 
are by yourself !” 

“ Oh, father ! I knew the way. You remember the day of tho hunt — 
will’ll the mustang ran away with me. It was beyond this place I was 
carried. On returning with Mr. Gerald, he told me he lived hero. I 
fancied I could find the way back.’’ 

Poindexter's look of perjilexity does not leave him, though another ex 
pros.sion becomes blended with it. His brow contracts ; tho shadow deep 
ens upon it ; though whatever the dark thought, ho does not declare it. 

“A strange thing for you to have done, my daughter. Imprudent — in- 
deed dangerous. You have acted like a silly girl. Come — come away! 
Tins is no place for a lady — for you. Get to your horse, and ride liomo 
again. Some one will go with you. There may be a scene here, you 
should not be present at. Come, come !” 

Tho father strides forth from the hut, tho daughter following with 
reluctance scarce concealed ; and, with like unwillingness, is conducted to 
her sadddle. 

The searchers, now dismounted, are upon tho open ;^ound in front. 
Tliey are all there. Calhoun has made known tho condition of things in- 
side ; and there is no need for them to keep up their vigilance. 'I’liey 
stand in groups — some silent, some conversiag. A larger crowd is around 
the Connemara man ; who lies upon tho grass, fast tied in the trail-ropa 
His tongue is allowed lilicrty ; and they question him, but without giving 
much credit to his answers. On the re appearance of the father and 
daugliter, they face towards them, but stand silent. For all tliis, they are 
burning with eagerness to have an explanation of what is pas«ing. ’flieir 
looks proclaim it. Most of them know the young lady by sight — all by 
fame, or name. They feel surprise — almost wonder — at seeing her there. 
The sister of tho munlered man under tho roof of his murderer ! More 
than ever are they convinced that this is the state of tho case. Calhoun, 
coming fortli from the liiit, has spread fresh intelligence among them — 
facts that seem to comfitra it. He has told them of the hat, the cloak — of 
the murderer himself, injured in tho death-struggle! But why is Louise 
Poindexter there — alone — unaccompanied by white or black, by relative or 
slave? A guest, too : for in this character does she appear! Her cousin 
does not explain it — perhaps he cannot. Her father — can ho? Judging by 
his embarrassed air, it is doubtful. Whispers passed from lip to ear — from 
group to group. There are surmises — many, but none spoken aloud. 
Even tho rude frontiersman respect tho feelings — filial as parental — and 
patiently await the edairemement. 

“ Mount, Louise ! Mr. Yancey will ride home with you.” 

The young planter thus pledged was nevermore ready to redeem himself 
He is the one who most envies the supposed happiness of Cassius Calhoun. 
In his soul ho thanks Poindexter for tno opportunity. 

“ But, father !” protests the young lady, “ why shonld I not wait for youl 
You are not going to stay here ?” 

Yancey experiences a shock of apprehension. 



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270 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN, 


“It ifl mj wish, daughter, that you do as I toll you. Let that b« 
Bumcieni. 

\ ancey s confidence returns. Not quite. He knows enough of that 
proud spirit to be in doubt whether it may yield obedience— even to the 
parental command. It gives way ; but with an unwillingness ill disguised, 
even lu the presence of that crowd of attentive 8 i)eciator 3 . Tho two ri«Ie 
ofif; tho young planter taking tho load, his charge slowly following— tho 
former scarce able to conceal his exultation, the latter her chagrin. 

Yancey is more distressed than displeased, at the melancholy mood of 
hia companion. How could it be otherwise, with such a sorrow at her heart ? 
Of course he ascribes it to that. He but half interi)ret8 the cause. Were 
' he to look steadfastly into the eye of Louise Poindexter, he might there 
detect an expression, in which sorrow for the past is less marked, than fear 
for the future 1 They ride on through tho trees — but not Ix^yond ear shot of 
the jKJople they have left behind them. Suddenly a change conies over tho 
countenance of the Creole — her features lighting up, ns if some thought of 
joy, or at least of hope, had entered her soul. She stops reflect ingly — her 
escort constrained to do the same. “ Mr. Yancey,” says she, after a short 
pause, my saddle has got loose. I cannot sit comfortabiy in it. Have the 
goodness to look to tho girths I” Yancey leaps to the ground, deliglded 
with tho duty thus imposed upon him. lie examines tho girths. In hisojunon 
they do not want tightening. lie docs not say so ; but, undoing the buckle, 
pulls upon the strap with all his strength. “ Stay !” savs the fair eques- 
trian, " let me alight. You will get better at it then.” \Vithout waiting 
for his assistance, she springs from her stirrup, and stands by the side of tho 
mustang. The young man continuo.s to tug at the strajis, pulling with all 
the power of his arms. After a prolonged struggle, that turns him red in 
the face, ho succeeds in shortening them by a single hole. 

"Now, Miss Poindexter ; I think it will do.” 

"Perhaps it will,” rejoins tho lady, placing her hand upon the horn of 
her saddle, and giving it a slight shake. " No doubt it will do now. After 
all ’tis a pity to start back so soon. I’ve just arrived here after a fust gallop ; 
and my poor Luna has scarce had time to breathe herself. What If we 
stop here a while, and let her have a little rest? 'Tie cruel to take her 
back without it.” 

" But your father ? Ho seemed desirous you should — ” 

" That I should go home at once. That’s nothing. 'Twas only to get 
mo out of tho wav of these rough men — that was all. He won’t care ; so 
long as I’m out of sight. ’Tis a sweot placo, this ; so cool, under the shade 
of these fine trees — just now that tho sun is blazing down upon the prairie. 
Let us stay a while, and give Luna a rest ! We can amuse ourselves by 
watching the gambols of these beautiful silver fish in the stream. Look 
there, Mr. Yancey ! What pretty creatures there are 1” 

Tho young planter begins to feel flattered. Why should his fair com- 
panion wish to linger there with him. Why wish to watch the iodomt 
engaged in their aquatic cotillon — amorous at that time of the year? 

He conjectures a reply conformable to his own inclinations. 

His compliance is easily obtained. 

" Miss Poindexter,” says he, " it is for you to command me. I am bnt 
too happy to stay here, as long as you wish it.” 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


271 


" Only till Luna bo reeled. To say the truth, sir, I had scarce got out ol 
tho saddle, as tho people came up. See I the poor thing is still pant hig 
after our long gallop.” 

Yancey does not take notice whether the spotted mustang is panting or 
n >. Ho is but too pleased to comply with the wishes of its rider. They 
.^t;ly by tho side of the stream. Ho is a little surprised to perceive that his 
companion gives but slight heed, either to tho silver fish, or tho B|>ottod 
mustang, lie would have liked this all the better, had her attentions been 
transferred to himself. But they are not. He can arrest neither her eye 
nor her oar. 'Tho former seems straying upon vacancy : the latter eagerly 
bent to catch every sound that comes from the clearing. Despite his 
inclination towards her, he cannot help listening himself. Ho suspects that 
a serious scene is there being enacted — a trial before Judge Lynch, with a 
jury of "Uogulators.” Excited talk comes echoing through the tree-trunks. 
There is an earnestness in its accents that tells of some terrible lieterini- 
nation. Both listen ; tho lady like some tragic actress, by the side-same of 
a theatre, waiting for her cue. There are speeches in more than one 
voice ; as if made by diflerent men ; then one longer than the rest — 
a harangue. Lousio recognizes the voice. It is that of her cousin Cassius. 
It is urgent — at times angry, at times argumentative : as if persuading his 
audience to something they are not willing to do. His speech comes to an 
end ; and immediately after it, there are quick sharp exclamations — ertes of 
assent— one louder than the rest, of fearful import. While listening, 
Yancey has forgotten .the fair creature by his side. He is reminded of her 
presence, by seeing her spring away from the spot, and, with a wild, but 
resolute air, glide towards tho jacaie ! 

CHAPPER LXIII. 

A JURY OF REGULATORS. 

The cry that had called the young Creole so suddenly from the side of her 
companion, was tho verdict of a jury, in whose rude phrase was also in- 
cluded tho pronouncing of tho sentence. 

The word " hang” was ringing in her cars, ns she started away from the 
spot. While pretending to take an interest in the play of tho silver-fis-h, 
hi r thoughts were upon that scene, of less gentle character, transpiring in 
front of the jacale. Though the trees hindred her from having a view of 
llie stage, she know tho actors that were on it ; and could tell by their 
speiwhes how the play was progressing. About the time of her dismount- 
ing, a tableau hail been formed that merits a minute description. Tho men, 
sho had left behind, were no longer in scattered groups ; but drawn to- 
gether into a crowd, in shape roughly resembling the circumference of a 
circle. 

Inside it, some half-score figures were conspicious, among them tho tall 
form of the Regulator Chief, with three or four of his " marshals.” Woo<l- 
ly Poindexter was there, and by his side Cassius Calhoun. These no longer 
appeared to act with authority ; but rather as spectators, or witnesses, in 
the judical drama about being enacted. 

Such in reality was the nature ef the scene. It wa« a trial for mur 




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the IIKAOUESS nORSEMA^J. 


*>72 

They ore msiUo l , uiovinsj hunt! vt foot. . 

iu raw-luilo ropes, tliat Inn i phclim has been ( ursetl and scJireil into 

^^iL.b»«.1.Ura.n tbo^cann^ W 

“ ,rl: “ - iiS" ™=r 

glare upon bis guards, with Uie capital charge ; the otlier is 

Only one of the prisoners is a « servant alone has been ex- 

bu^Zubtfully regarded has to say for lum^ 

lunincHl— asked to confesss all master. Pbelim has told bis 

self. It is no use .^'’"ijouob the strangest part of it, 

tale— too strange to bo ’ “uboat a bead, is looked upon ns tl o 

lating to bis having seen •, . ^,.1 bis story but strengthens the 

least inoprobable. He ‘^'^‘^“"Afat^tbo spectral apparition is a part 
m A""' All’ Bluff bis UIIOB .toul “rffe'f of‘ul 

“y''t'wu to »lic.m lio bM iuBii-'i “'“'''J "'“i (!'^“y 

«- i', “ 'S'ifSu "b “fU bi, totb. Every circum^ 

Siau. and tlmt Maurice <leBu <Ob ; ul.ilo » rtcBe b«vo b»^ 

Stance already known has T, ;acale the ugliest of which is the 

‘,\,lo.l tbe t«e« fnclB ‘ rxibiutlonB pveD by ll>» 

Luliug ol ‘l;r*t™ou. »rrj uc crlHS. Why Bbould tbcyt They uro 

confused and incongruous, carrj 

the inventions of necompb^o^^^ tbom-some who impatient- 

The vote is taken, ric-i exproased their opinion: that Maurice 

to he guileless on tbe grass. horse-hide was a venomous 

\vi v that banging back, as The m?jority--thc p^irab^ 

.nX that none dares to \’J',‘Sco of death ; 


THE HEADLESS HOKSK.MAN. 




for want of that unanimity, that stimulates to immediate action — for want 
of the proofs to produce it. There is a minority not sat istiiid, that with less 
noise, but eiiually earnest emphasis, have answen-d “No.” 

It is this that has causeil a Hii8i>ension of the violent proceedings. 

Among this minority is Judge Lynch himself— Sam Manly, the Hdef of 
the Kegulators. Ho has not yet passed sentence ; or even signified his 
acceptance of the acclumatory verdict. 

“ Fellow citizens !” cries ho, as soon as he has an opportunity of making 
himself heard, “ I’m of tho opinion, that there's a doubt in this case ; and 
I reckon wo ought to give tlie accused tho benefit of it — that is, till he bo 
able to say his own say about it. It’s no use questioning him now, ns ye 
all see. We have him tight and fast ; and there’s not much chance of his 
getting clear— 1 / guilty. Therefore, I move we postpone tho trial, till ” 

“ What’s the use of postponing it?” interrupts a voice already loud lor 
the prosecution, and which can be distinguished as that of Cassius Calhoun. 

“ What’s tho use, Sam Manly? It’s all very well for you to talk that wav ; 
but if you had a friend foully murdered — I won’t say cousin, but a son, . 
broth(?r — you might not be so soft about it. What more do you want to 
show that the skunk ’s guilty ? Further proofs ?’’ 

" That’s just what we want, Cajitain Calhoun.” 

“ Cyan yoM give them, Misther Ca.sluu8 Calhoon?” inquires a voice from 
the outside circle, with a strong Irish accent. 

“ Perhaps I can.” 

“ loot’s have them, then !” 

“ God knows you’ve had evidence enough. A jury of Ids own stupid 
countrymen ” 

" Bar that appellashun I” shouts tho man, who has demanded iho 
additional evidence. “ Just remember, Misther Calhdbn, ye're iu Texas, and 
not Mississippi. Bear that in mind ; oryo may run your longue into 
trouble, sharp as it is.” 

" I don’t mean to offend any one,” says Calhoun, backing out of the 
dilemma into which his Irish antipathies had led him ; “ even an English- 
man if there’s one here.” 

" Tharo ye’re welcome — go on !” cries the mollified Milesian. 

" Well, then, as I was saying, there’s been evidence enough — and more 
than enough, in my opinion. But if you want more, I can give it.” 

“ Give it — give it !” cry a score of responding voices ; that keep up tho 
demand, while Calhoun seems to hesitate. 

“ Gentlemen I” says he, squaring himself to tho crowd, as if for a speech, 
“ what I’ve got to say now I could liavo told you long ago. But I didn’t 
think it was ni^eded. You all know what’s happened between this man 
an<l myself ; and I had no wish to be thought revengeful. I'm not ; and if it 
wasn’t that I’m sure ho has done the deed — sure as the head’s on my 
Ixwly ” 

Calhoun speaks stammeringly, seeing that tho phrase, involuntarily escap. 
ing from his lips, has product a strange effect upon his nuditory — as it has 
upon himself. 

“If not sure — I — I should still say nothing of what I’ve seen, or rather 
heard ; for it was in tho night, and I saw notliing.” 

" What did you hoar, Mr. Calhoun ?” demands tho Regulator Chiet ro 






V 






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274 


THL HEADLESS HORBBMAV. 


suining his judicial demeanour, for a time forgotten in the confiiwon oi 
voting the verdict. “ Your quarrel with the prisoner, of whicli I believe 
I everybody has heard, can have nothing to do with your testimony here, 

i Nobody ’b going to accuse you of false swearing on tliat account. Please 

proceed, sir. What did you hear 7 And where, and when, did you hoar itY” 

! “ To begin, then, with the time. It was the night my cousin wt s mis 

Bing ; though, of course, wo didn’t miss him till the morning. Last Tucs 
day night.” 

^ Tuesday night. Well ?” 

“ I’d turned in myself ; and thought Henry had done the same. But 
' what with the heat, and the infernal musquitoos, I couldn’t get any sleep. 
; ‘‘ I started up again ; lit a cigar ; and, after smoking it awhile in the 

* ^oom, I thoug^ht of taking a turn upon the top of the house. 

“ You know the old hacienda has a flat roof, I suppose? Well, I went 
up there to get cool ; and continued to pull away at the weed. 

It must have been then about midnight, or maybe a little earlier. I 
i; la’l tell : for I’d been tossing about on my bed, and took no note of the 
i li lie. 


“ Just as I had smoked to the end of my cigar, snd was about to take a 
seomd out of my case, I heard voices. There were two of them. 

“ They were up the river, as I thought on the other side. They were a 
good way off, in the direction of the town. ^ 

“ I mightn’t have been able to distinguish them, or tell one from tother. 
If they’d been talking in the ordinary way. But they weren’t. There was 
loud an'T-ry talk ; and I could tell that two men were quarrelling. ^ 

" I siTpposed it was some drunken rowdies, going home from O^rdofler s 
“''•-taviTn, and I should have thought no more about it. But as 1 listened, I 
recognized one of the voices ; and then the other. The first was my cousin 
Henry’s— the second that of a man who is there— the man who has mur- 
dered liim.” 




Please proceed, Mr. Calhoun ! Let us hear the whole of the evidence 
you have promised to produce. It will bo time enough then to state your 

'^^‘°Weli, gentlemen ; as you imagine, I was no little surprised at hearing 
my cousin’s voice — supposing him asleep in his bed. So sure was 1 of its 
being him, that I didn’t tliink of going to his room, to see if he was there. 
i knew it was his voice ; and I was quite as sure that the other was that of 

he liorso catcher. ^ ^ 

*• I thought it uncommonly queer, m Henry being out at such a late 
hour : as ho was never much given to that sort of thing. But out he was 


I couldn’t bo misuken about that. , ^ i r 

“ I listened to catch what the quarrel was about : but though I could dis- 
tinguish the voices, I couldn’t make out anything that was said on either 
side. What I did hear was Henry calling Atm by soine strong names, m if 
my cousin had been first insulted ; and then I heard the Irishman threab 
ening to make him roe it. Each loudly pronounced the other s name ; and 

that convinced me about its Ixjing them. ^ r nmu in mv 

'• I should have gone out to see what the trouble wm , but I wm in my 
slippers ; and before I could draw on a pair of boots, it appeared to be all 


over. 


THE HEADLESS HOltSE.MAB. 


275 


** I waited for half an hour, for Henry to come home. He didn’t come ; 
but, ns I suiiposed ho had gone back to Oberdoffer’s and fallen in with 
some of the fellows from the Fort, I concluded he might stay there a spell, 
and I wont to my bed. 

“ Now, gentlemen. I’ve told you all I know. My poor cousin never came 
back to Casa del Corvo — never more laid his side on a bed, — for that we 
found by going to his room next morning. His bed that night must have 
been somewhere upon the prairie, or in the chapparal ; and there’s the only 
man who knows w here.” 

With a wave of his hand the sjieaker triumphantly indicated the accus- 
ed — w'hoso wild straining eyes told how unconscious ho was of the terrible 
accusation, or of the vengeful looks with which, from all sides, he was now 
regarded. 

Calhoun’s story was told with a circumstantiality, that went far to pro- 
duce conviction of the prisoner’s guilt. The concluding speech appeared 
eloquent of truth, and was followed by a clamorous demand for the execu- 
tion to proceed. 

“ Hang 1 hang 1” is the cry from fourscore voices. 

The judge himself seems to waver. The minority has been diminished — 
no longer eighty out of the hundred, buv ninety repeat the cry. The 
more moderate are overborne by the inundation of vengeful voices. The 
crowd sways to and fro, resembling a storm fast increasing to a tempest. 
It soon comes to its height. A ruflian rushes towards the roi»e. 
Though none seem to have noticed it, ho has jiarted from the side of Cal- 
houn, with whom ho has been holding a whispered conversation. One 
of those " Ixirder rulEns” of Southern descent, ever ready by the stake of 
the philanthrojiist or martyr, such as have been late typified in the military 
murders of Jamacia, who have disgraced the English name, to the limits of 
all time. He lays hold of the lazo, and quickly arranges its loop around 
the neck of the condemned man, alike unconscious of trial and condemna- 
tion. No one steps forward to opjiose the act. The ruffian, bristling with 
bowie-knife and pistols, has it all to himself ; or, rather, is ho assisted 
by a scoundrel of the same kidney — one vf the ei4evant guards of tho 
prisoner. 

The 8x>ectator8 stand aside, and look tranquilly upon the proceedings. 
Most express a mute i.pproval — some encouraging tho executioners with 
earnest vociferations of “ Up with him I Hang him 1” A few seem stupe- 
fied by surprise ; a less number show sympathy ; but not one dares to give 
proof of it, by taking part with the prisoner. The rope is around his 
neck — the end with the noose upon it. The other is being swung ever tho 
sycamore. 

" Soon must the soul of Maurice Gerald go back to its God 1* 


CHAPTER Lxnr. 

'a series of interludes. 

“ Soon tho soul of Maurice Gerald must go back to its God I” 

It was the thought of every actor in that tragedy among the trees. No 



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THE HEADI.ESS IIOHBEMAM, 


one doubted that, in another moment, they would see his body hoisted in 
to the air, and swinj^ing from the branch of the sycamore. 

Tljero was an interlude, not provided for in tlio programme. A farce 
wa.s being performed simultaneously ; and, it might be said, on the same 
, stage. For once the tragedy was more attractive, and the comedy was 
j>rogrcs6ing without spectators. 

i Not less earnest were the actors in it. There were only two— a man and 
a nmre Phelim was once more re-enacting the scenes that had caused sur- 
pri.se to Isidora. 

Engrossed by the arguments of Calhoun — by the purposes of vengeance 
which his story was i)roduciug- the Kegulators only turned their atten- 
tion to tl:e chief criminal. No one thought of his companion, whether he 
I was or was not an accomplice. His pnjsenco w'ns scarce perceived, all eyes 
I being dir<;cted with angry intent upon the other. 

* Still less was it noticed, when the ruffians sprang forward, and com- 
! menced adjusting the rope. Tlio Galwegian was then altogether neglected. 

There api)oared an opj^rtunity of esca])e, and Phelim was not slow to take 
’ advantage of it. Wriggling him.self clear of his fastenings, he crawled off 
I among the legs of tho surging crowd. No one seemed to see, or care 
i about, his movements. Mad with excitement. They were pressing upon 
^ each other — tho eyes of all turned u]>ward to tho gallows tree. 

To have seen Phelim skulking of!', it might have lieen supposed, that ho 
was profiting by tho chance otfered for escape — saving his owm life, without 
tliinking of his master. 

It is true ho could have done nothing, and ho knew it. Ho had exharist- 
j ed his advocacy ; and any further interference on his part would have b«?en 
a n idle effirt, or only to aggravate the accusers. It was but slight disloyal- 
j^*^ty that ho should think of saving himself— a mere instinct of self-prt!ser- 

i * vation — to which he seemed yielding, as he stole off among the trees. So 

one would have conjectured. 

Hut tho conjecture would not have done justice to him of Connemara. 

I In his flight tho faithful servant had no design to forsake his master— much 
j leas leave him to his fato, without making one moro effort to effect his 

j delivery from tho human bloodhounds who had hold of him. Tie knew he 

! could do nothing of himself. Ilia hotxj lay in summoning Zob Stump, and 
i it was to sound that signal — which had prov’ed so c'ffective before — that Jie 
I was now stealing off from tho scene, alike of trial and execution. 

On getting Ixiyond tho selvedge of tho throng, he had glided in among 
I the trees ; and keeping these between him and tho angry crowd, he ran on 

' toward tho spot where tho old mare still grazed upon her tether. The 

I other horses standing “ hitched” to the twigs, formed a tolerably compact 

1 tier all round tho edge of tho timber. This aided in screening his move- 

j inents from observation, so that ho had arrivixi by the side of the mare, 

' without being seen by any one. Just then he discovered that he had come 

J without tho apparaMis neccess-iry to carry out his design. The cactus 
I branch had been dropped wheic ho was first captured, and was still kick- 
- ing alxmt among tho feet of his captors. lie could not get hold of it, 

I without exposing himself to a fresh seizure, and this would hinder him 
from effecting tho desired end. He had no knife — no weapon of any kind 
— wherewith ho might piocuro another nopal. 


THE HEADLESS HOR8EMAK. 


27*7 


Ho paused, in painful uncertainty ns to what ho siiould do. Only for an 
instant. There was no time to bo lost. His master’s life was in imminent 
peril, menaced at every moment. No sacrifice would bo too great to save 
him • and with th's thought tho faithful Phelim rushed towards the cac- 
tus plant ; and, seizing one of its spinous branches in his naked hands. 
wrenche<l it from tlie stem. 

His fingers were fearfully lacerated in the act ; but what mattertsl that, 
when weighed against tho life of his Ixdoveii master? Witli ^iial reck- 
lessness ho ran up to the mare ; and, at the risk of Ixdng kicked back 
again, took hold of her tail, and once more applied the instrument of 
*U*rturo 1 

By tins time the noose had Ixicn a<iju.sted around tho mustanger’s neck, 
carefully adjusted to avoid fluke or failure. Tho other end, leading over 
the limb of the tree, was held in hand by tho brace of In-arded bullie.s — 
whoso fingers appeared itching to pull upon it. In th(nr eyes and attitudes 
was an air of deadly determination. They only waited for tho word. 

Not that any one had tho right to'pronounce it. And just for this reason j 
was it delayed. No one seemed willing to take the responsibility of giving t 
that signal, which was to send his fellow-creaturo to his long account. I 
Criminal as they might regard liim— murderer as they believed him to bo ' 
—all shied from doing tho sheriff’s duty. Even Calhoun instinctively held j 

back. j 

It was not for tho want of will. There was no lack of that on tho part ^ 
of tho ex-officer, or among the Regulators. They showed no sign of re- ; 
'treating from the step they had taken. Tlio pause was simply owing to i 
tiic imformality of the proceedings. It was but the lull in the storm that I 
precedes tho grand crash. j 

It was a moment of deep solemnity — every one silent as the tomb. They j 
were in tho pre.sence of death, and knew it, — death in its most hideous ' 
shape, and darkest guise. Most of them felt that they were abetting it. 
All believed it to be nigb. , 

With hushed voice, and hindered gesture, tlioy stood rigid os tho tree- j 
trunks around them. Surely tho crisis had come? j 

It had ; but not tiiat crisis by everybody expected, by themselves ' 
decreed. Instead of seeing Maurice Gerald jerked into the air, far dif- ‘ 
ferent was ihe spectacle they were cal!?<l upon to witness, — one so ludi- 
crous as for a time to interrupt the solemnity of the scene, and cause a sue- . 
pension of tho harsh procf'edings. The old mare— that they know to bo ' 
Zeb Stump’s — appeared to have gone suddenly mad. She had commencinl t 
dancing over the sward. Hinging her heels high into the air, an<l screaming ; 
with all her might. She had given the cue to tho hundred horses that 
stood tied to tho trees ; and all of them hod commenced imitating her 
wild capers, while loudly responding to her screams ! Enchantment could . 
scarce have produced a quicker transforinaiion tlian occurreil in tiio tableau j 
formed in front of the jacalo hut. Not «>nly was the execution suspended, 
but all other proceedings that regardetl the condemned captive. Nor was ' 
the change of a comical character. On the contrary, it was accoMiixmiud : 
by looks of alarm, and cries of consternation I The Regulators rushed to 
their arms — some towanis their horses. 

” Indians !” was the exclamation upon every lip, though unheard , 


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THK HEADLESS H0H8EUAV. 


/ 


through tho din. Nought but tho coming of Coraanchcs could hAT« 
caused such a commotion — threatening to result in a atampedt of the troop I 

For a time men ran shouting over the little law'n, or stood silent with 
scared countenances. 

Most, having secured their horses, cowered behind them — using them by 
way of shield against tho chances of an Indian arrow. 

There were but few upon tho ground accustomed to such prairie escapa- 
des ; and the fears of tho many wore exagg('ratcd by their inexperience to 
the extreme of terror. It continued, till tlieir steeds, all caught up, had 
cca.sed their wild whighering ; and only one wa.s heard — tlio wretched 
creature that had given them the cue. Then was discovered tho true cause 
of tho alarm ; ns also that tho Connemara man had stolen off. Fortunate 
for Phelim ho had shown the good sense to betake himself to tho bushes. 
Only by concealment had ho saved his skin : for his life was now worth 
scarce so much as that of his master. A scorce of rifles were clutched wdth 
j angry energy, — their muzzles b»‘ought to btmr uj)on tho old mare. But 
I before any of them could In; discharged, a man standing near threw his laao 
I around her nock, and choked her into silence. 

I 

j Tranquillity is restored, and along with it a resumption of the deadly 
design. Tho Regulators are still in the same tempiT. The ludicrous inci- 
i dent, whilst perplexing, has not provoked their mirtli ; but the contrary. 
I Some feel shame at tho sorry figure they have cut, in tho face of a false 
alarm ; while others are chafed at the interruption of tho solemn ceremoni- 
al. They return to it with increased vindictiveness — as proved by their 
oaths, and angry exclamations. Once more tho vengeful circle closes around 
I the condemned — tho terrible tableau is reconstructed. Once more the 
ruffians lay hold of the rope ; and for tho second time every one is improsst'd 
with the solemn thought : “ Soon must the soul of Maurice Gerald go back 
to its God 1” Thank heaven, there is another interruption to that stern 
ceremonial of death. How unlike to death is that bright form flitting 
under tho shadows, — fl.ashing out into the ojien sunlight. 

“ A woman ! a beautiful woman 1” 

’Tis only a silent thought ; for no one essays to speak. They stand rigid 
' as ever, but with strangely altered looks. Even tho rudest of them resjiect 
' the pri-sonce of that fair intruder. There is submission in their attitude, as 
if from a consciousness of guilt. 

Like a meteor she passes through thoir midst — glides on without giving 
a glance on either side — without speech, without cry — till she stoops over 
; the condemned man, still lying gagged upon tho grara. 

With a quick clutch she lays hold of tho lazo ; which tho two hangmen, 
taken by surprise, have let loose. 

Grasping it with both her hands, she jerks it from theirs. 

“Texans! cowards!” she cries, casting a scornful look upon the crowd. 
■ Shame ! shame ?” 

They cower under the stinging reproach. 

She continues : — 

“A trial indeed! A fair trial! Tlie accused without counsel — con- 



* 


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I 




THE HEADLESS HORSEMAW. 


279 


demned without being heard ! And this you call justice ? Texan juBticel 
My scorn uisin you — not men, but murderers!” 

" \\ hat means this ?” shouts Poindexter, rushing up, and seizing his 
daughier by the arm. " You are mad— Loo— mad I How come you to be 
hero ? Did I not tell you to go homo ? Away — this instant away ; and do 
not interfere with what does not concern you!" 

“ Father, it does concern mo I” 

“ How ?— how ?— oh true — as a sister ! This man is tho murderer of 
your brother.” 

"I will not — cannot believe it. Never-never! There was no motive. 
0 men ! if you be men, do not act like savages. Give him a fair trial and 
t!ien — then ” ’ 

Ho 8 had a fair trial, calls one from tho crowd, who seems to speak 
from instigation; “Ne’er a doubt about his being guilty. It’s him that's 
killed your brother, and noliody else. And it don’t look well, Miss Poin- 
dexter— excuse me for saying it;— but it don’t look just the’ thing that 
yoi4 should be trying to screen him from his deservings.” 

“ No, tliat it don’t,” chime in several voices. 

“ .Justice must take its course !” shouts one, in the hackneyed phrase of 
tho law courts. 

“ It must 1- it must 1” echoes tho chorus. 

disoblige you, miss; but we must request you to leave 
Mr. Poindexter, you d do well to take your daughter away.” 

“Come Loo! ’Tis not tho place for you. You must come away. You 
refuse! Good God! my daughter; do you mean to disobey me? Here 
Cash ; take hold of iier arm, and conduct her from the spot. If you refuse- 
to go willingly, we must use force. Loo. A good girl now Do os 1 tell 
you. Go ! Go !” 

No, father, I will not — I shall not — till you have promised — till these 
men promise ” 

“ We can’t promise you anything, miss— however much we might like 
It. It ain’t a question for womon, no how. There’s been a crime commit- 
ted— a murder, as ye yourself know. There must be no cheating of justice. 
There’s no mercy for a murderer !” 

“ No mercy !” echo a score of angry voices. “ Let him be hanged— 
hanged — hanged !” 

The Regulators are no longer restrained by the fair presence. Pcrhnpe 
it has but hastened tho fatal moment. The soul of Cassius Calhoun is not 
the only one in tliat crowd stirred liy tlie spirit of envy. Tho horse hunter 
IS now hatwl for his supposed good fortune. 

In the tumult of revengeful pas-sion, all gallantry is forgotten — that very 
virtue lor whicii the Texan is distinguisln-d. 

Tho lady is led aside— dragged rather than led— hy her cousin, and at tho 
command of her father. She struggles in tho hated arms tha; hold her, 
wildly weeping, loudly protesting against tho act of inhumanity. “ Mon- 
sters ! muHerers !” are the phrases that fall from her lips. Her struggles 
am resisted ; the speeches unhe.-d.-d. She is borne back bevond the confines 

to Calhoun is con- 

strained to hear— heart breaking the words now showered upon him Better 


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280 


THB HEADLESS HORSEMAIT. 


for him he had oi taken liold of her. It scarce consoles him — thal 
certainty of revenge. His rival will soon bo no more ; but what mattora 
it ? The fair form writhing in his grasp can never bo consentingly 
embraced. He may kill the hero of her heart, but not conquer for him- 
self its most feeble Section I 


CHAPTER LXV. 

BTHX ANOTIIEn rNTKRLUDE. 

For a third time is the tableau reconstructed — spectators and actors in th« 
dread drama taking their places as before. The lazo is once more passed 
ever the limb ; the same two scoundrels taking hold of its loose end — this 
time drawing it towards them till it becomes taut. For the third time 
arises the reflection : “ Soon must the soul of Maurice Gerald go back to 
its God !” Now nearer than ever docs the unfortunate man seem to his end. 
Even love has proved powerless to save him ! What power on earth can be 
appealed to after this 1 None likely to avail. But there appears no chance 
of succour — no time for it. There is no mercy in the stern looks of the 
Regnlators — only Impatience The hangmen, too, appear in a hurry — as if 
they were in dread of another interruption. They manipulate the rope with 
the ability of experienced executioners. The physiognomy of either would 
give colour to the assumption, that they had been accustomed to the calling. 
In less than sixty seconds they shall have finished the job. 

“ Now then. Bill I Are ye ready ?” shouts one to the other — by the 
question proclaiming, that they no longer intend to wait for the word. 

“ All right I” responds Bill. “ Up with the son of a skunk ! Up with 
him I” 

There is a pull upon the rope, but not sufficient to raise the body into an 
erect position. It tightens around the neck ; lifts the head a little from the 
ground, but nothing more I 

Only one of the hangmen has given his strength to the pull. 

“ Haul, d — n you !” cries Bill, astonished at the inaction of his assistant. 
“Why the h — don’t you haul ?’’ 

Bill’s back is turned towards an intrnder, that, seen by the other, has 
hindered him from leading a hand. He stands os if suddenly transformed 
into stone I 

“ Come !*’ continues the chief executioner. " Let’s go at it again — both 
together. Yee — up I Up with him ? ’ 

“ Ab don’t !" calls out a voice in the tones of a stentor ; while a man of 
colossal frame, carrying a six-foot rifle, is seen rushing out from among the 
trees, in strides that bring him almost instantly into the thick of tho 
crowd. 

“ No ye don’t !’’ he repeats, stopping over tho prostrate b^y, and bring- 
ing his long rifle to boar upon tho ruffians of the rojw. " Not yet a bit, os 
this coon kalkerlates. You, Bill Griffin ; pull that piece o’ pleotod hoss- 
hair but the eighth o’ an inch tighter, and ye'll git a blue pill in yer 
stummuk os won’t agree wi’ ye. Drop the rojHj, dum ye ! Drop it 1” 

The sereamlng of Zeb Stump’s mare scarce created a mute sudden 


THE HEADLESS HOR8KMAK. 


28. 


iiversion than the appearance of Zeb himself — for it was he who had 
hurried iqron the ground. 

lie was known to nearly all present ; respected by most ; and feared by 

™’Among the last were Bill Griffin, and his fellow roire-holder. No longei 
liolding it : for at the comu.and to drop it, yielding to a qmck perception ol 
danger, both had let go ; and the lazo lay loose along the sward. 

“ What durned tom-foolery’s this, boys ?” continues the col^s^, address- 
ing himself to the crowd, still speechless from surprise. “ Ye don t mean 

bangin’, do ye ?” 

“ Wo do,” answers a stern voice. 

“ And why not ?” asks another. 

“ Why not ! Ye’d hang a fell ur citizen ’ithout trial, wud JO ” 

** Not luucli of a fellow-citizcn — 80 far as that goes. * Besides, ho s had a 
trial— -a fair trial.” 

“ I’deed. A human critter to bo condcra-ncti wi his brain in a smto of 
dulleeriuni ! Sent out o’ tho world 'ithout knowin that he’s in it 1 Ye call 

that a fair trial, do ye ?” „ . n c i . 

“ What matters it, if wo know he’s guilty ? Wo re all satisfied about 

that.” , , v 

“ The h— 1 ye air 1 Wagh 1 I aim goin to wasle words wi sech as you, 

Jim Stoddars. But for tjou, Sam Manly, an’ yer^lf. Mister Peintdexter— 
shurly ye aint agreed to this hyiir preceodin’, which, in my opeenyun, ud 
be neyther more nor less ’n murder ?” , i ^ • r 

“ You haven’t heard all, Zeb Stump,” interposes, the Regulator Ohief, 
with ^e design to justify his acquiescence in the act, “ There are 

factp » 

“ Packs be durned ! An’ fancies, too I I don’t want to hear ’em. It’ll 
bo time enuf for thet, when tho thing kum to a reg’lar trial ; the which 
shurly nob’dy hyur’ll objeck to— seein’ as thur aint the ^hoen o’ a chance 
for him to git off. Who air the individooal that objecks?’ 

“ You take too much upon you, Zeb Slump. What is it your business, 
we’d like to know? Tho man that’s been murdered wasn’t your son ; nor 
your brother, nor your cousin neither I If ho had been, you’d be of a dif- 
ferent way of thinking, I take it.” 

It is Calhoun who has made this interpolation— spoken before with so 

much success to his scheme. . 

“ I don’t BOO that it concerns you,” he continues, “ what course wo take 

in this matter.” , „ , i- • j . 

“ But I do. It consams mo — fust, Ixxaiuso this young fellur s a friend o 
mine, though ho air Irish, an’ a stronger ; an’ s.'condly, because Zeb Stump 
aint a goin’ to stan’ by, an’ see foul play— oven tho it bo on tho purayras o 
Tcxtip/* 

“ Foul play bo d — d I There’s nothing of tho sort. And as for standing 
by, we’ll sec about that. Boys I you’re not going to be scared from your 
duty by such swagger as this ? Lfd’s make a finish of what we vo b^un. 
Tho blood of a murdered man cries out to us. Lay hold of the rope 1 
“ Do ; an’ by tho oturnal I the fust that do ’ll drop it a lootlo quicker 
than ho grups it, Lay n claw on it — one o’ ye— if yo uarr. Ye may hang 
this poor crittor as higlis’ yo like ; but not till ye’ve laid Zeb Ion Stump 


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282 


THE HEADLESS H0H8EMA». 


strectcliC'l dead uj)on the f^rass. wi’ some o’ ye alongside o’ him. No'<* 
then 1 Lot me soe the skunk lliet’s goin’ to tech thet rope ?” 

Zcb’s speech is followed by a |)rofo!ind silence. The people kept theii 
places, partly from tho danger of ucc«‘pting his challenge, and partly from 
the respect duo to Ids courage and generosity. Also, because there is still 
some doubt in the minds ot tho Regulators, both os to the expediency, and 
fairnosss of the course Calhoun is inciting them to take. ' 

ith a quick instinct the old liunter perceives tho advantage he has 
gained, and presses it. 

' “ Gio the young fellur a fair trial,” urges he. “ Let’s take him to tho 

settlment, an’ hev him tried thur. Ye’ve got no clur proof that he’s had 
any liand in the black bizQi ss ; and duru mo ! if I’d believe it unless I seed 
it wi’ my own eyes. I know how ho leoloJ torst young Peintdexter. In- 
stead o’ bein’ his enemy, thur ain’t a man on this ground hed more o’ a 
likin for him, tho’ ho did hev a hit of shindy wi’ his preecious cousin 
thur.” 

i “ You are perhaps not aware, Mr. Stump,” rejoins the Regulator Chief, 
in a calm voice, ” of what we’ve just been hearing ?” 

” What hev ye been bearin’?” 

“ Evidence to the contrary of what you assert. Wo have proof, not only 
) that there was bad blood between Gerald and young Poindexter, but that 
: a quarrel took place on tho very night ” 

“ Who sez that, Sam Manly ?” 

j “ I say it,” answers Calhoun, stopping a little forward, so as to bo seen 
by Stump. 

j “ O, you it air. Mister Cash Calhoun I You know thur war bad blood 
‘ atoen ’em ? You seed tho quarrel ye speak o’ ?” 

I “ I haven’t said that I saw it, Zob Stump. And what’s more Pm not go- 
i ing to stand any cross-questioning by you. I have given my evidence, to 
j tho.so who have a right to hear it ; and that’s enough. I think, gentlemen, 
i you’re satisfied os to the verdict. I don't see why this old fool should intor- 
rnpt ” 

‘‘Ole fool!” echoes the hunter, with a screech; “Ole fool! H — 1 an’ 
' herrikena I Ye call mo an ole fool ? By tho eternal God ! ye’ll live to take 
back that s{>ecch, or my name ain’t Zeb’lon Stump, o’ Kaintucky. Ne’er a 
: mind now ; thur’s a time for everythin,’ an’ yur time may come Mister Cash 
j Calhoun, sooner than ye susiK'cks it. 

, “As for a quarrel between Peintdexter an’ tho young fellur hyur,” con- 
1 tinues Zeb, addressing himself to tho Regulator Chief, “I don’t belive a 
• word on’t ; nor won’t so long’s tliur’s no better proof ttian his palaverin’. 

From what this chile knows, it don’t stan’ to reezon. Ye say ye’ve got new 
I facks ? So've I, too. Packs I reck’u thet’ll go a good way torst explicatin’ 
; o’ this mysteerus bizne s, twisted up as it air.” 

' “ What facts demanded tho Regulator Chief. “ Let’s hear them, 

i Stump.” 

I “Thur’s more than one. Fust place, what do ye make o’ the young 
! fellur bein’ wownded hi.sself ? I don’t talk o’ them scratches ye see ; I be- 
lieve them’s done by tyiyoats that attack ti d him, arter they sce’d he wul 
wownded. But look at his knee. Somethin’ el^ than coyoats did ikM 
What do you make o’ it, Sam Manly ?” 


THB HEADLESS HOUSEMAK. 


28 a 


••Vfell, that— some of the boys here think there’s been a stru globe 
tween him and ” 

“ Atween him and who?” sharply interrogates Zob. 

" Why, tho man that's missing.” 

“ Yes, that’s he who wo mean,” speaks one of the “ latys” referred to 
“ Wo all know that Henry Poindexter wouldn’t a stood to Ixj shot down 
like a calf. They’ve had a tussle, and a fall anicng tho rocks. 'Thais 
what’s given him tho swellin’ in the knee. Bosidos that, there’s tho 
mark of a blow upon his head — looks like it had been the butt of a pistol. 
As for the scratches, wo can’t tell what’s made them. 'Thorns maybe ; or 
wolves if you like. That foolish fellow of his has a story about a tiger ; 
but it won’t do for us.” 

“ What fellur air ye talkin o’ ? Ye mean Irish Pheelum ? Where air 

he?” . , , 

“ Stole away to save his carca.se. We’ll find him, as soon as we vo settleil 
this business ; and I guess a little hanging will draw the truth out of him. 

“ If ye mean abeouttho tiger, ye’ll draw no other truth out o^ him than: 
ye’ve got a’ready. 1 see’d thet varmint myself, an’ wur jest^in time to save 
the young fellur from its claws. But thet aint the point. Tie ye had holt o 
the Irish, I ’sposo. Did he toll ye o’ nothin else ho seed hyur ?” 

“ He had a yarn bout Indians. Who believes it ?” _ ^ 

“ Wal ; ho tolt mo tlie same story, and that looks like some truth in’t. 
Besides, he declurs they wur playin’ curds, anhyur’s the things themselves. 

I found ’m lying scattered about tho floor o’ the shanty. Spanish curds 
they are.” _ , i 

&b draws the pack out of his pocket, and hands it over to tho Regulator 1 
Chief. 

The cards, on examination, prove to bo of Mexican manufacture — such ns 
are used in the universal game of monte — the queen upon horseback j 
“ cavallo ” — tho spado represented by a sword “ espada” — and the club | 
“ baston ” symbolized by tho huge paviour-liko implement, seen in picture , 
books in tho grasp of hairy Orson. ‘ 

“ Who ever heard of Comanches playing cards ?” demands he, who has ; 
Bcoutcd tho evidenco about tho Indians. “ D — d ridiculous 1” i 

“ Ridiklus ye say 1” intcrixiaes an old trapper who had been twelve 
mouths a prisoner among tho Comanchees. “ iVidiklus it may bo ; but it’s j 
truo for all that. Many’s the game this coon’s seed them play, on a dresi»cd 
butller hide for their table. That same Mexikan montay too. I reckon they’ve i 
larnod it from thar Mexikin captives ; of the wliich they’ve got as good as 
throe thousand in thar different tribes. Yes, sirree !” concludes tho trapj>er. ^ 
“ The Keymanebces do play cards — sure as shootin.” 

Zeb Stump is rejoiced at this bit of evidenco, which is more than he could 
have given himself. It strengthens tho case for the accused. The fact, of 
there having been Indians in the neighborhood, tends to alter the aspect of 
the affairs in the minds of the liogulators — hitherto under the l)elief that 
the Comanches were marauding only on tho other side of the Bettlem<‘nt. 

“ Sartin sure,” continues Zeb, pressing the point in favor of an adjourn- 
ment of tho trial, “ thur’s been Injuns hyur, oJ somethin’ dumed likn— • 
tteesus Qeehoiiofat I Whar’s she cornin’ from ?” , 





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Tllfi II&ADLKSS ilOHSEMAir. 


The clattering of hoofs, borne down from the bluff, salutes the ear c4 
vjverybody at the samo instant of time. 

No one needs to enquire, what has caused Stump to give utterance to 
that abrupt interrogatory. Along the top of the cliff, and close to its 
edge, a horse is seen, going at a gallop. There is a woman — a lady — upon 
his back, with hat and hair streaming loosi.dy behind her — the string 
hindering the hat from Ijoing carried altogether away I So wild is the 
gallot ) — 60 perilous from its proximity to the precipice — you might suppose 
the horse to have run away with his rider. But no. You may tell that he 
hjis not, by the actions of the equestrian herself. Sho seems not satisfied 
with the pace ; but with whip, spur, and voice keeps urging him to increase it I 
This is plain to the spectators below ; though they are puzzled and con- 
fused by her riding so close to the cliff. They stand in silent astonishment. 
Not that they are ignorant of who it is. It would be strange if they were. 
That woman equestrian — man seated in the saddle — once seen was never 
more to be forgotten. Sho is recognised at the first glance. One and all 
know tho reckless galloper to bo the guide— from whom, scarce half-hour 
ago, they had parted upon the prairie. 


CHAPTER LXVI. 

CHASED BY COM AN CUBS. 

/ 

; I? was Isidora who had thus strangely and suddenly shown herself. What 
was bringing her back ? And why was sho riding at such a perilous pace ? 
, To explain it we must return to that dark reverie, from which she was 
startled by her encounter with the “ Tejanos.” 

While galloping away from tho Alamo, sho had not thought of looking 
back, to ascertain whether she was followed. Absorl>ed in schemes of 
vengeance, sho had gone on — without even giving a glance behind. It was 
. but slight comfort to her to reflect : that Louise Poindexter had appeared 
I determined upon parting from tho jacalo. With a woman’s intuitive 
j quickness, she suspected tho cause ; though she knew, too well, it was 
j groundless. Still, there was some pleasure in tho thought : that her rival 
; i,gnorant of her happy fortune, was suffering like herself. There was a 
j hoj-s^ too, that the incident might produce enstrangement in tho heart 
I of thi.s proud Creolo lady towards tho man so condescendingly beloved ; 

I tliough it was faint, vague, scarce believed in by her who conceived it. 

Taking her own heart as a standard, sho was not one to lay much stress, 
on the condescension of love : her own history was proof of its levelling 
power. Still was there tho thought that her presence at the jacalo had 
given pain, and might result in disaster to the happiness of her hated 
> rival. 

! Isidora had begun to dwell upon this with a sort of subdued pleasure ; 

that continued unclieckod, till the time of her rencontre with the Texans, 

, On turning back with those, her spirits underwent a change. The road to 
^ be taken by Louise, should have been the same as that, by which she had 
. herself come. But no lady was upon it. Tho Creole must have changed 


i 


I 

i 


THB HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


2S, 


her mind, and stayed by tho Ja.cale — was, perhaps, at that very momci,' 
performing the metier Isidora bad so fondly trace^l out for herself Y Tl.‘ 
belief that she was about to bring shame u{>ou the woman who ha' 
brought ruin upon her, was the thought that now consoled her. 

The questions put by Poindexter, and liis companions, sufficiently di' 
closed tho situfWion. Still clearer was it made by the final intcrrogatioi 
of Calhoun ; and, after her interrogators had pass^ away, sho reniaiued 1 ' 
the side of the thicket — half in doubt whether to ride on to the Leona, <i 
go back and be the sjiectator of a scene, that, by her own contrivance, coul 
scarce fail to bo exciting. { 

i 

* ♦ * ♦ * * * I 


She is upon tho edge of tho chapparal, just inside the shadow of tl 
timl^er. She is astride her gray steed, that stands with spread nostril ai' 
dilated eye, gazing after the oavaUadii tliat has late part^ from tho sj , 

• — a single horseman in the rear of the rest. Ucr horse might wonder w> 
he is being thus ridden about ; but he is used to sudden changes in t: 
will of his capricious rider. 

She is looking in the same direction — towards tho a{hueh%Me wh 
dark summit towers above the bluffs of tho Alamo. r 

Sho sees the searchers descend ; and after them, the man who has t 
minutely questioned her. As his head sinks below the level of the pla’ 
she fancies herself alone upon it. ? 

In this fancy she is mistaken. 

Sho remains irresolute for a time — ten — fifteen — twenty minutes. y, 
Her thoughts aro not to be envied. There is not much sweetness in f 
revenge, she believes lierself instrumental in having accomplished. If 
has caused humiliation to tho woman she hates, along with it she may h; 
brought ruin upon tho man whom she loves? Despite all that has pass 
she cannot help loving him I 

“ Suntissima Virgen she matters with a fervent earnestness. “ W 
have 1 done? If these men — Los Reguladorts — tho dreaded judges l\ 
heard of — if they should find liim guilty, where may it end ? In his deat. 
Mother of God ! I do not desire that. Not by their hands — no no I II 
wild their looks and gestures — stern— determined ! And when I ^win 
out the way, how quickly they rode off, without further thought of i.| 
Oh, they have made up their minds. Don Mauricio is to die 1 And h * 
stranger among them so have I heard. Not of their country, or kindr' 
only of the same race. Alone, friendless, with many enemies. Snnlissii* 
what am I thinking of? Is not ho, who has just left me, that cousin: 
whom I’ve heard sj>eak ! Aydemi! Now do 1 understand tho cause of ' 
questioning. His heart, like ?cine own — like mine own !” y 

Sho sits with her gaze bent over the open plain. Tho grey 8tce<l s’l 
frets under restraint, though the cavaUada has long since pass^ out of sir 
He but responds to the spirit of his rider ; which he knows to bo vacillat- 
— chafing under some irresolution. t 

’Tis the horse that first discovers a danger, orsomething that scents! 
it. He proclaims it by a low tremulous neigh, as if to attract her attentij 


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TUB HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


•.Tiulo hifl head, tossed back towards the chapparal, shows that the enemy 
:s to be looked for in that direction, 
i Who or what is it ? 

I Warned by the behaviour of her steed, Isidorn faces to the thicket, and 
scans the path by which she has lately passed through it. It is the road, 

; or trail, leading to the Leona. ’Tis only open to the eye for a straight 
* stretch of about two hundred yards. Beyond, it becomes screened by the 
bushes, through which it goes circuitously. 

J No one is seen upon it— nothing save two or three lean coyotes, that skulk 
! under tho shadow of the trees — scenting the shod tracks, in the hope of 
'dnding some scrap, that may have fallen from tho hurrying horsemen. 

It is not these that have caused the grey to show such excitement. Ho 
^.oes them; but what of that? The i)rairie-wolf is a sight to him neither 
'startling, nor rare. There is something else— something he has either 
scented, or heard. Isidora listens: for a time without liearing aught to 
tlarm her. Tho howl-bark of the jackal does not beget fear at any time ; 
,uuch less in tho joy of daylight. She hears only this. Her thoughts 
vgain return to tho “ Tejanos” — t'spccially to him who has last parted from 
jer side. She is speculating on the purpose of his earnest intern)gation ; 
'when once more she is interrupted by tho action of her hors^ Tho 
inimal shows impatience at being kept U|)on the spot ; snuffs the air ; 
norts ; and, at length, gives utterance to a neigh, far louder than before ! 
This time it is answered by several others, from horses that appear to bo 
;oing along tho road — though still hidden behind tho trees. TLeir hoof 
trokes are heard at tho same time. 

But not after. The strange horses have either stopped short, or gons 
'ff at a gentle pace, making no noise 1 Isidora conjectures tho former, 
hie believes the horses to be ridden ; and that their riders have checked 
hem up, on hearing tho neigh of her own. She quiets him, and listens, 
k. humming is heard through tho troths. Thougli indistinct, it can be 
old to be tho sound of men’s voices — holding a conversation in a low 
luttercd tone. Pre.sently it becomes hushed, and the chapparal is again 
ilent. Tho horsemen, whoever they are, continue halted — perhaps hesi- 
iting to advance. Isidora ^s scarce astonis'icd at this, and not much 
larmed. Some travellers, perhaps, en route for the Rio Grande— or, it may 
e some stragglers from tho Texan troop — who, on hearing a horse neigh, 
avo stop|>od from an instinct of prec.aution. It is only natural — at a time, . 
rlion Indians are known to be on the war-path. Equally natural, that she 
■lould be cautious about encountering tho strangers — whoever they may 
;;; ati'l, with this thought, she rides softly to one side — placing herself 
'iid her horse under cover of a mezquit tree ; where she again aits listening. 
Not long, before discovering that the horsemen have commenceil advanc- 
ig towards her — not along the travelled trail, but through the thicket ( 
nd not altogether, but as if they had separated, and wore endeavoring to 
ccomplish a surround I 

She can tell this, by hearing the hoof strokes in different directions : all 
oing gently, but evidently diverging from each other; while the riders 
re preserving a profound silence, ominous either of cunning or caution— < 
orhaps of evil intent ? 

j They may have discovered her position ? The neighing of her steed has 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


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betrayed it ? They may be riding to get round her — in order to advance , 
from different sides, and make sure of her capture ? 

How is she to know that their intent is not hostile ? 81»e has enemies — 
one well remembered — Don Miguel Diaz. Besides, there are the Co- 
inanche*8— to be distrusted at all times, and now no longer en pn%. She bt> ■ 
gins to feel alarm. It has been long in rising : but the Injiiaviour of the I 
uuse*;n horseman is at least suspicious. Ordinary travellers would have , 
continued along tho trail. These are sneaking through the chapparal. 

She looks around her, scanning her place of concealment. She examines 
only to distrust. Tho thin feathery frondago of the mez(iuit will not scri'en 
her from an eyo passing near. The hoofstrokes tell that more than one , 
cavalier is coming that way. She must soon be discovered. ^ i 

At the thought, she strikes the spur into her horse’s side, and rides out [ 
fn)m the thicket. Then, turning along the trail, she trots on into the 0 |>en ^ 
plain, that extends toward the Alanm. Her intention is to go two or tlmic , 
hundred yards — beyond range of arrow, or bullet — then halt, until she can j 
discover tho characterof those who are advancing— whether friends, or to Iw j 
feared. If the latter, she will trust to the siieed of her gallant grey to carry j 
her on to tho protection of the “ Tejanos.” Slio does not make the intend- i 
0*1 halt. She is hindered by the horsemen, at that moment swn bursting j 
forth from among tho bushes, simultaneously with each other, and almost as | 
800,1 as herself I They spring out at different ixiints ; and, in converging j 
line.s, ride rapidly towards her ! 1 

A glance shows them to bo men of bronze coloured skins, and half f 
naked bodies — with red paint on their faces, and scarlet feathers sticking 
up out of their hair. ' 

” Los Indlos !” mechanically mutteres tho Mexican, as, driving the rowels j 
against the ribs of her steed, sho goes off at full gallop for tho alhuehucte. , 
A quick glance lichind shows her sho is pursued, enough sho knows it | 
without that. Tho glance tells her more— that the purtmit is close and 
earnest— so earnest that the Indians, contrary to their usual custom, do 
not yell ! j 

Their silence speaks of a determination to capture her ; and as if by a I 
plan already preconcerted I Hitherto she has had but little fear ot an en ! 
counter with the red rovers of tiie prairie. For years have they Ihsmi en pot, 
both with Texans and Mexicans ; and tho only danger to be drendtsl from 
them was a little rudeness when under the influence of drink— just as a 1 idy, 
in civilized life, may dislike upon a lonely road, to meet a crowd of “ naviga- 
tors,” who have been spending their day at tho beer-house. Islilorahad pa.ss- . 
ed through a peril of this kind, and roinembers it, with les-s pain from the 
thought of tho peril itself, than the ruin it has led to. But her dangex is 
different now. The peace is past. There is war uvwn the wind. Her 
pursuers are no longer intoxicated with the fire-water of their foes. Tliey 
are thirsting for blood ; and she flies to escape not only dishpnor but it may 
be death I 

*••♦*•♦** 

On, over that open plain, with all tho speed sho can take out of hot 
horse — all that whip, and spur, and voice can accomplish 1 

She alone speaks. Her pursuers are voiceless — silent as spectres. 


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TUB HEADL288 IIORSEMAK. 


' 28S 

Only once does she glance behind. There are still but four of them; but 
four is too many against one — and that one a woman ! 

There is no hope, unless she can get within hail of the TexanSk 
She presses on for the alhuehueU. 


CHAPTER LXVII. 

LOS INDIOSl 

As if in answer to the exclamation of the old hunter— or rather to the 
interrogatory with which he has followed it uji — comes the cry of tha 
strange equimtrian who has shown herself on the cliflF. 
i "Los InJios ! Los Indios!” 

No one who has speut three days in Southern Texas could mistake the 
meaning of that phrase — whatever his native tongue. It is the alarm cry 
twhich, for three hundred years, has been heard along three thousand miles 
;of frontier, in three different languages — '• Les Indiens I Los Indios 1 the 
Indians !” 

I Dull would be the ear, slow the intellect, that did not at once comprehend 
^it, along with the sense of its associated danger. To those who hear it at 
the jacale it needs no translation. They knew that she, who has given 
utterance to it, is pursued by Indians — as certain as if the fact had l)cen 
e.nnounced in their own Saxon vernacular. They had scarce time to trans- 
late it into this — even in thought — when the same voice a second time 
salutes their ears : — “ Tejanos I Cavalleros ! save me ! save mo ! Los Indios 1 

il am chased by a troop. They are behind me — close— close ’’ 

I Her speech though continued, is no longer heard distinctly. It is no 
.longer required to explain what is passing uiwn the plain above. She has 
cleared the first clump of tree tops by scarce twenty yards, when the lead- 
ing savage shoots out from the same cover, and is seen, going in full gallop 
against the clear sky. Like a sling he spins the lazo loop around his head. 
So eager is he to throw it with sure aim, thiH ho does not api)car to take 
;heed of what the fugitive has said — s{)oken as she went at full speed : for 
she made no stop, while calling out to the “ Tejanos.” He may fancy it 
has been addressed to himself — a final appeal for mercy, uttered in a lan- 
guage he does not understand ; for Isidora had spoken in English. 

I Ho is only undeceived, as the sharj) crack of a rifle comes echoing out of 
the glen,— or perhaps a little sooner, as a stinging sensation in fis wrist 
causes him to let go his lazo, and look wonderingly for the whyl 
He perceives a puff of sulphureous smoke rising from below. * 

A single glance is sufficient to cause a change in his tactics. In that 
glance He beholds a hundred men, with the gleam of a hundred gun bar- 
rels ! 

His three followers see them at the same time ; and as if moved by the 
same impulse, all four turn in their tracks, and gallop away fix>m the cliff 
quite as quickly as they have been approaching it. 

“ 'Tur a pity too,” says Zeb Stump, proceeding to reload hie rifle. “ If 
't hedn’t a been for the savin’ o’ her. I’d a let ’em come on down the gully 


THE HEADLESS IIORSEMAIf. 


289 


Ef wo kod a captered thorn, we niout a got somethin’ out o’ ’em consarnin' 
this queer case o ourn. Thur ain’t the smell o’ a chance now. It’s clur 
they’ve good off ; an’ by the time we git up yar.der, they'll be hellurd.” 


rho sight of the savages has produced another quick change in the tab- 
loau formed in front of tlio niustan^jer’s liut — a cbanf^c equally sudden in 
the thoughts of those who compose it. The majority who dt^emed Maurice 
Ucrald a murtlcror has become transformed into a minority; while those 
who believed him innocent are now the men whose ojnnions are rcep)ected. 
Calhoun and his bullies arc no longer masters of the situation ; and on the 
motion of their chief the Regulator Jury is adjourned. The new pro- 
grainroo is cast in double quick time. A score of words suffice to descrilio 
It. The accused is to bo carried to the settlement— there to be tried 
according to the law of the land. And now for the Indians— whose oppor 
tune appearance has caused this sudden change, both of sentiment and de- 
sign. Are they to bo pursued ? That of course. But when ? Upon the j 
instant? Prudence says, no. Only four have been seen. But these are ' 
not likely to bo alone. They may be the rear guard of four hundred ? j 
..oil ‘ 1 “® woman comes down,” counsels one of the timid ' 

1 hoy have not followed her any farther. I think I can hear her ridine ! 
this way through the gullcy. Of course she knows it — as it was she who • 
directcfl us. | 

The suggestion appears sensible to most upon the ground They are ' 
not coward.s. Still there are but few of them, who have enaiuutcrcd th/' 

and many only know his more debas''/ 
The advice is adopted. They stand waiti^^ 

; and some have sought shelter among t^ 

; apprehension : that along with ti 

ile^xi^n, or close after her, may still amic a troop of Gimanches. \ 

A few are otherwise occupied — Zeb Stump among the -number. He^i 

between the teeth of the respited prisoner, and unties ! 
the thongs liitherto holding him too fast. 

There is one who watches him with a strange interest, but taki-s no ! 
part in the preceding. Her part has been already played— perhaps too i 

ir thl»"°ni!i^‘ o?*n“ apiiearing farther conspicumis. Wiere < 

is the nie^ of Dm Silvio Martinez? She has not yet come upon the-' 

gmund ! The stroke of her horse’s hoof is no longer heard ! 'I’litre has* 
een tunc more than time— for her to liave reached the jacale ! Her non-V 
^qxiarance creates surpriso-apitrehension— alarm. There are men thereat 
who admire .ho Mexican maiden— it is not strange they should— some who 1 

rouid No overtaken and capt.ir.xl? The interrogatory passes [ 

The Tex^a are interested in the aiswer. 

^o 1 exans began to feel somethmg like shame. Their gallantry was aiv I 

Has -ho who addn‘8.‘xxl it succumbed to the pursuer?'^ Is that beauteous 
form in the embrace of a paint-bodaul>ed savage ? h«aateou8 . 

moy listen with ears intent,- many with pulse* that beat high, and ' 


wild Indian in actual strife , 
brethren in the way of trade, 
for the appMach of Isidora. 

All are now by their horses 
trees There are those who 


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200 


THE HEADLESS HOR8EMAW. 


The old hunter is silent, os 
lie keeps his thoughts to him- 
tho invalid prisoner — still un- 


hearts throbbing witli a keen anxiety. They listen in vain. There is no 
sound of h<K>f — no voiw of woman — nothing, except the champing of bitts 
heard close by their side! Can it be that she ia taken? Now that the 
darker design is stifled within their breasts, the hostility against one of 
their own race is suddenly changed into a more congenial channel. 

Their vengeance, rekindled, burns fiercer than ever — since it is directed 
against the hereditary foe. 

The younger and more ardent — among whom are the admirers of th« 
Mexican maiden — can bear the uncertainty no longer. They spring into 
their saddles, loudly declaring their determination to seek her — to save her, 
or perish in the attempt. 

Who is to gainsay them ? Her pursuers — her captors perhaps — may bo 
the very men they have been in search of — the murderers of Henry Poin- 
dexter 1 No one opposes their intent. They go off in search of Isidore — 
in pursuit of the prairie pirates. Those who remain are but few in 
number ; though Zeb Stump is among them, 
to the expi-diency of pursuing the Indians, 
self: his only seeming care is to look after 
conscious — still guarded by the Regulators. 

Zeb is not the only friend who remains true to the mustangerin his hour 
of distress. There are two others wjually faithful. One a fair creature, 
wlio watches at a distance, carefully concealing the eager interest that con- 
sumes her. The other, a rude, almost ludicrous individual, who close by 
liis side, addresses the respitwl man as his “ masther.” The last is Pholim, 
who has just descended from his perch among the parasites of an umbrageous 
oak — where he has for some time stayenl — a silent S|iectator of all that has 
''een transpiring. The change of situation has tempted him back to earth, 
.nd the performance of that duty for which he came across the Atlantic. 

longer lies our scene upon tho Alamo. In another hour the Jacale is 
ieserted — perhaps never more to extend its protecting roof over Maurice 
mustanger. The chased equestrian is within three hundrtid yards of 
the bluff, over wliich the tree towers. She onco more glances behind her. 

“ Jjios me ampare !” ( (Jo<l preserve me.) 

God preserve her I She will be too lato I 

The foremost of her pursuers has lifted tho lazo from his saddle horn : he 
Is winding it over his head ! 

Before she can reach the head of the pass, the noose will be around her 
neck, and then — 

“And then, a sudden thought flashes into her mind — a thought that 
pnmiist^s escape from the threatened strangulation. 

The cliff that overlooks the Alamo is nearer than the gorge, by which 
the creek bottom must bo reached. She romera’iers that its crest is visible 
from tho Jacale. With a quick jerk upon tho rein, she diverges from her 
course ; and, instead of going on for the alhuehuele, she rides directly to 
wanis the bluff. Tho change puzzles her pursuers — at the same time giv- 
ing them gretification. They well know the “ lay ” of the land. They 
understand tho trending of the cliff; and are now confident of a captura 
Tho leader takes a fresli hold of his lazo, to make more sure of the throw. 
Ho is only restrained from launching it, by tho certainty she cannot escapei 
“ Vhingaro !" mutters he to himself, “if she go much farther, she’ll be over 


\ 


/the 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


291 I 


the precipice I’’ His reflection is false. She goes farther, but not over the ^ 
precipice. With another quick pull ujion tho rein she has changed her I 
course and rides along the edge of it — so close as to attract tho attention : 
of tho’“ Tejanos’’ bi'low, and elicit from Zeb Stump that ijuaint exclama- j 
(,ion only heard upon extraordinary occasions, — “ Geesus Ooehosofat !’’ 


CHAPTER LXXVII. 

THE DI3.VPrOINTED CAMPAIONEUS. 


The campainm against the Comanches proved one of tho shortest— last- 
ing only three or four days. It was discovered that these Ishmaclites of tho 
West did not mean war— at least, on a grand scale. Their descent upon 
tho settlements was only the freak of some young fellows, about to take 
out their degree as fc/'fli'r#, desirous of signalizing the event by raising 
a few scalps, and capturing some horses and horned cattle. 

Forays of this kind are not unfrequent among the lexan Indians. 1 hey 
are made on private account— often without tho knowlwlgo of tho chief, or 
elders of tho tribe— just as an ambitious young tnid, or ensign, may sieal 
off with a score of companions from squadron or camp, to cut out an 
enemy’s craft, capture his picket guara. These marauds are usually mado 
by young Indians out on a hunting party, who wish to return homo with 
something to show besides the spoils of the chaso ; and tho majority of tho 
tribe is often ignorant of them till long after the event. Otherwi.se. they 
might be interdicted by tho elders ; who. as a general thing, are averse to 
such yfhiiMfrrtMg expeditions— deeming them not only imprudent, but often 
injurious to the interests of the community. Only when successful are they 

applauded. , i o i i • 

On tho present occasion several young Comanches had taken out their 

w.ir-diiiloma, by carrying back with the.m the scalps of a number of white 
women and boys. ’The horses and horned cattle were also collect' d ; but 
these, being less convenient of transport than tho light scalp-locks, had 

been recaptured. . , i 

Tho red-skinned filibusters, overtaken by a detachment of Mounted 
Rifles, among the hills of the S^n Saba, were compelled to abandon their 
four-footed booty, and only saved tluvr own skins by a forced retreat into 
the fastness of the “ Llano Estacado.’’ 

To follow them beyond the borders of this sterile tract would have ro- 
quin d a commissariat less hastily established than that with which tho 
troops had sallied forth ; and, although the relatives of tho scalired settlers 
clamoured loudly for retaliation, it could only be promised them after duo 

time and preparation. , , . , 

On discovering that the Comanches had retreated beyond their neutral 
ground, the soldiers of Uncle Sam had no choice but to return to their 
ordinary duties— each detachment to Its own fort — to await further com- 
mands from the head-quarters of the “ department.” 

The troops belonging to Fort Inge— entrusted with the guardianship of 
IR* <v>iintrv na far 08 the Rio Nueces— were surprised on getting back to 



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292 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


their cantonment to discover that they had been riding in the wrong diroo- 
lion for an encounter witli the Indians! Some of tnein were half mad 
with disappointment : for there were several — young Hancock among the 
numijtT —who had not yet run their swords through a red-skin, though 
keenly desirous of doing so! 

No doubt there is inhumanity in the idea. But it must bo remembered, 
that these ruthless savages have given to the white man peculiar provoca- 
tion, by a thousand reixititions of three diabolical crimes — rape, rapine, 
and murder. 

To talk of their being the alwrigines of the country — the real, but dis- 
possessed, owners of the soil— is simple nonsense. This sophism, of the most 
spurious kind, has too long held dominion over the minds of men. The 
whole human race has an inherent right to the whole surface of the earth : 
and if any infinitesimal fraction of the former by chance finds itself idly 
roaming over an extended jx>rtion of the latter, their exclusive claim to it 
is n.most too absurd for argument — even with the narrowest-minded disci- 
ple of an ai'origines society. 

Admit it— give the huuter his half-dozen square miles — for he will re- 
quire that much to maintain lilm— leave him in undisputed possession to 
all eternity — and millions of fertile acres must remain untilled, to accom- 
modate this whimsical theory of national right. Nay, 1 will go further, and 
risk reproach, by asserting : that not only the savage, so called, but civi- 
lized people should bo unreservedly dispossessed— whenever they show 
themselves incapable of turning to a good account the resources which 
Nature has placed within their limits. 

The exploitation of Earth's treasures is a question not confined to nations. 
It concerns the whtde family of mankind. 

In all this there is not one iota of agrarian doctrine— not a thought of it. 
He who makes these remarks is the lust man to lend countenance to coin- 

munism. m • m 

It is true that, at the time spoken of, there were ruulans in Texas who 
held the life of a red-skin at no higher value than an English gamekeeper 
does that of a stoat, or any other vermin, that trespasses on his preservea 
No doubt these ruffians are there still ; for ten years cannot have effected 
much change in the morality of the Texan frontier. 

But, alas! wo must now be a little cautious about calling names. Our 
own story of Jama ca — by heaven ! the blackest that has blotted the pages 
of history— has whitewashed those border to the seeming purity 

of snowl ■ 1 1 j 

If thing-s are to be judged by comparison, not so fiendish, then, need ap- 
pear the fact, that the oung officers of Fort Inge wore some little chagrined 
at not having an opportunity to slay a score or so of rod-skins. On learn- 
ing that, during their absence, Indians had been seen on the other side, 
they Were inspired by a new hope. Thev might yet find the opportunity 
of fleshing their swords, transported without stain— witiiout sharpening, 
too— from the milita-y school of West Point. 

It was a fresh disappointment to them, when a party came fn on the same 
day— civilians who had gone in pursuit of the savages seen on the Alamo— 
and reported : that no Indiana had been there 1 ^ ^ 


THE HEADLEiS HOUSE.UAV. 


298 


They came provided with proofs of their statement, which otherwise would 
have been received with incredulity considering what had occurred. 

The proofs consisted in a collection of miscellaneous articles — an odd lot, 
as an auctioneer would describe it — wigs of horse-hair, cocks’ feathers stained 
blue, green, or scarlet, breech-clouts of buckskin, moccasins of the same ma 
terial, and several packages of paint, all which they hud found concealed in 
the cavity of a cottonwood tree 1 

There could be no new campaign against Indians ; and the aspiring spirits 
of Fort luge were, for the time, forced to content themselves with such inci- 
dents as tlie situation afforded. 

.Notwithstanding its remoteness from any centre of civili::ed life, these 
were at the time neither tame nor uninteresting. There were several sub- 
jects worth thinking and talking about. There was the arrival, still of re- 
«ent date, of the most beautiful woman ever seen upon the Alamo; the mys- 
terious disappearance and supposed assassination of her brother : the yet 
more mysterious appearance of a horseman without a head ; the trite story 
of a party of white men “ playing Indian " ; and last, though not of least 
interest, the news that the suspected murderer had been caught, and was 
now within the walls of their own guard-house — mad as a maniac I 

There were other tales told to the disappointed campaigners— of sufficient 
interest to hinder them from thinking ; that at Fort Inge they had return- 
ed to dull quarters. The name of Isidora (’ovarubio de los Llanos — with 
her masculine, but magnificent beauty — had become a theme of conversa- 
tion, and something was also said, or surmised, about her connection with 
the mystery that occupied all minds. 

The details of the strange scenes upon the Alamo — the discovery of the 
mustanger upon his couch — the determination to hang him — the act delay, 
od by the intervention of Louise Poindexter — the respite due to the courage 
of Zeb Stump — were all points of the most piquant interest — suggestive of 
the wildest conjectures. 

Each became in turn the subject of remark and commentary, but none 
was discussed with more earnestness than that which related to the inno- 
cence or guilt of the man accused of murder. 

“ Murder,” said the philosophic Captain Sloman, “ is a crime which in my 
opinion, Maurice the mustangor is incapable of committing, I think, I 
know the fellow well enough to be sure about that." 

" You’ll admit,” rejoined Crossman of the Rifles, “ that the circnmstances 
are strong against him ? Almost conclusive, I should say,” 

Crossman had never felt friendly toward the young Irishman. He had 
an idea that on one occasion the commissary’s nit«e — the belle of the Fort — 
had looked too smilingly on the unknown adventurer. 

“ I consider it anything but conclusive,” replied Sloman. 

“ There’s no doubt about young Poindexter being dead, and having been 
murderoil. Every one believes that. Well; who else was likely to have 
done it ? The cousin swears to having overheard a quarrel between him 
and Gerald.” 

“ That precious cousin would swear to anything that suited his purpose,” 
interposed Hancock, of the Dragoons. ” Asides his own shindy with th« 
man is suggestive of suspicion — is it not ?” 


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294 


THE HKAULESS ilOKREMAV. 


“ And if then; wa» a quarrel,” argued the oflBcer of infantry, * what then^ 
! It don’t follow there was u murder.” 

■ “ Then you think the fellow may have killed Poindexter in a fair fight?” 

> “ Something of the sort is jjossible, and even probable. I will admit that 

much.” 

‘ “ But what did they have a difficulty aliout ?” asked Hancock. “ I heitrd 

I that Poindexter was on friendly terms with the horse-hunter — notwithstand- 
ing what had happened between him and Calhoun. What could they have 
I quarrelled about Y” 

I “ A singular interrogation on your, part Lieutenant Hancock !” answered 
the infantry officer, with a significant emphasis on the pronoun. “ As if men 

ever quarrelled about anything except ” 

"Except women,” interrujited the dragoon with a laugh, 
j “ But which woman, I wonder ? It could not be anything relating to young 
j Poindexter’s sister ?” 

' " Quicn sahe ?” answered Sloman, repeating the Spanish phrase with an am 

j biguous shrug of the shoulders. 

I " Pre|) 08 terou 8 !” exclaimed Crossman. " A horse-catcher daring to set his 
thoughts on Miss Poindexter ! Preposterous !” 

W'hat a frightful aristocrat you aie, Crossman I Don’t you know that 
! love is a natural democrat : and mocks your artificial ideas of distinction. I 

; don’t say that in this rase there’s been anything of the kind. Miss Poindex- 

ter’s not the only woman who might have caused a quarrel betiveen the two 
individuals in question. There are other damsels in the settlement worth 
getting angry about — to say nothing of our own fair following in the Fort; 
and why not ” 

“ Captain Sloman,” petulantly interrupted the lieutenant of Rifles. “ I 
i must say that, for a man of your sense, you talk very inconsiderately. Tlie 
i ladies of the garrison ought to be grateful to you for the insinuation.” 

^ " What insinuation, sir?” 

1 •' Do you suppose it likely that there’s one of them would condescend t« 

i speak to the person you’ve named ?” 
j “ Which ? I’ve named two.” 

j “ You understand mo well enough, Sloman ; and I you. Our ladies will, 

J no doubt, feel highly complimented at having their names connected with 
^ that of a low adventurer, a horse thief, and suspected assassin I” 

I “ Maurice the Mustanger may be the last— suspected, and that is all. 

I Ho is neither of the two first ; and as for our ladies being above spe«-ch 

f with him, in that as in many other things, you may be mistaken, Mr. 

} Crossman. Tve seen more of this young Irishman than you — enough to 
; satisfy me that, so far as breeding goes, he may compare notes with the best 

of us. Our grand dames needn’t be scared at the thought of his acquain- 

j tance ; and, since j'ou have raised the qu»;sfion, I don’t think they would 
j shy from it — some of them at least — if it were offered them. It never 
; has. So far as I have observed, the young fellow has beiiaved with a mod- 
esty that betokens the true gentleman. I have seen him in their presence 
I more than once, and ho lias conducted himself towards them as if fully 

S sensible of his position. For that matter, I don’t think ue cares a straw 

i about on* or other of them.” 


TUB HBAPLES6 UOnsEMAK. 


295 




" Indeed I How fortunate for those, who might otherwise have t'cen 
hie rivals 1” 

" Perhaps it is,” quietly remarked the captain of infantry. 

“Who knows?” asked Hancock, intentional !y giving a turn to the 
ticklish conversation. “ Who knows but the cause of quarrel — if there’s 
been one — might be thlo splendid senorita so much talked about? I 
haven’t seen Her myself; but by all ficcounts, she’s just the sort to make 
two fellows as jealous as a pair of tiger-cats.” 

"It might be who knows?” drawled Crossman, who found con- 

tentment in the thought that tho handsome Irishman might have his 
amorous thoughts turned in any other direction than towards the com- 
missary’s quarters. 

“ They’ve got him in the guard-house,” remarked Hancock, stating a fact 
that had just lieen made known to him: for the conversation above de- 
tailed <x:curred shortly after their return from the Comanche campaign. 
“His droll devil of a serving man is along with him. What’s more ; tho 
major has just issued an order to double the guard 1 What does it mean. 
Captain Sloman — you who know so much of this fellow and his affairs? 
Surely there’s no danger of his making an attempt to steal out of his pris- 
on ?” - ' ' 

" Not likely,” replied the infantry officer, seeing that he hasn’t tho 
8liglit<-8t idea that he’s inside of one. I’ve just been to the guard-house to 
havo a hxik at liim. He’s mad as a March hare ; and wouldn’t know his 
own face in a looking-glass.” 

"Madl In what way'^” asked Hancock and the others, who were but 
half enlightemxl about the circumstances of the mustanger’s capture. 

“A brain fever upm him — delirious?” 

" Is that why tlie guards have beeu doubled? Devilish queer if it is. 
The major himself must havo gone mad I” 

“ ilaybe it s the suggestion — command I should rather say — of tho major- 
ess. Ha! ha! ha!” 

“ What docs it mean ? Is the old major really afraid of his getting out 
of the guard house?” 

" No — not t!iat, I fancy. More likely an apprehension of somebody else 
getting into it.” 

" Ah ! you mean that ” 

“ I mean that for Maurice the Mustanger there’s more safety inside than out. 
Some quot;r characters ar«; about ; and there’s been talk of another Lynch 
trial. The Regulators either repent of having allowed him a respite ; or 
there’s somebody hard at work in bringing about this state of public >pin- 
ion. It’s lucky for him that the old hunter has stood his friend ; and it’s 
but a continuation of his good luck that we’ve returned so opportunely. 
Another day, and we might have found tho guard-house empty — so far as 
its present occupants are concerned. Now, thank Qodl the poor fellow 
shall have a fair trial.” 

“ When is it to take place ?” 

“ Whenever he has recovered his senses, sufficiently to know that he’s 
being truKl.” ^ 

“ It may bo weeks before that.” 

" And it may be only days — hours. He don’t appear to be very bad— 





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296 


TIIS HEADLESS lIOKSUMAtf. 


that Ib, bodily. It’s his mind that’s out of order — more, perhapt, from 
some Btrange trouble that has come over him, tlian any Rerious hurt he 
has received. A day may make all the difference; and from what I’ve 
just heard, the Regulators will insist on his being tried as soon as he 
Bhows a return to consciouBuess. They say they won’t wait for him to re- 
cover from his wounds 1” 

'• Maybt^ he’ll be able to tell a Btory that’ll clear him. I hope so.” 

This was said by Hancock. 

“ I doubt it,” rejoined Orossman, with an incredulous shake of the head . 
" Nous verrom /” 

“I’m sure of it,” eaid Sloman. " Nous verront!” he added, speaking in a 
tone that seemed founded less upon confidence than a wish that was &ther 
to the thought. 


CHAPTER LXIX. 

MYSTERY AND MOCRNtNO. 

Titttre is mourning in the mansion of Casa del Corvo, and mystery 
among the members of Woodley Poindexter’a family. 

Though now only three in number, their intercourse is less frequent than 
before, and marked by a degree of reserve that must spring from some deep- 
seated cause. 

They meet only at the hour of meals — then conversing only on such 
topic.s as cannot well be shunned. 

) 'riiero is ample explanation of the sorrow, and much of the solemnity. 

’ The death — no longer doubted— of an only son — an only brother— unex- 

I pocted and still unexplained— should account for the melancholy mien both 
j of father and daughter. 

' It might also explain the shadow sealed constantly on the brow of th.- 

] cousin. . . 

< But there is something beyond this. Eacli appears to act with an irksome 
' restraint in the presence of the others — even during the rare occasions, on 
which it becomes necess ry to converse on the family misfortune I 
1 Beside the sorrow common to all three, they appear to have separate 
I griefs that do not, and cannot, commingle. 

The once proud planter stays within doors — pacing from room to room, 

I or around the enclosed corridor — bending beneath a weight of woe, that 
has broken down his pr>de, and threatens to break his heart. Even strong 
] aternnl affection, cruelly bereaved, can scarce account for the groans, oft 
accompanied by muttered curses, that are heard^ to issue from his lips ! 
i Calhoun rides abroad as of yore ; making hie appearance only at the 
hours of eating and sleeping, and not regularly then. 

For a whole day, and part of a night, he has been absent from the place, 
i No one knows where ; no one has tlie ri«iht to inquire. ^ 

1 Louise confines herself to her own room, though hot continuously. There 
arc times when she may bo seen ascending to the azotea alone and in 
silent meditatioaL 


THi; HEADLESS HOUSEMAN. 


297 


Theri', nearer to Heaven, she seeks solace for the sorrows that have as 
sailed her ui>on Earlli — the loss of a beloved brother — the fear of losing 
one far more beloved, though in a different sense — perhaps, a little also, the 
thought of a scandal alreaiiy attaching to her name. 

Of these three sorrows the 8ec«)nd is the strongest. The last but little 
troubles her ; and the first, for awhile keenly felt, is gradually growing 
calmer. 

But the Bocoud — the supremo pain of all — is but strengthened and inten- 
sified by time! 

t>he knows that Maurice Oerald is shut up within the walls of a prison — 
the strong walls of a military guard-house. 

It is not their strength that dismays her. On the contrary, she has fears 
for their weekness ! 

She has reasons for her apprehension. She has heard of tho rumours 
that are abroad ; rumours of sinister significance. She has heard talk of 
a second trial, under tho presidency of Judge Lynch and his rude coad- 
jutors — not the same Judge Lynch who officiated in the Alamo, nor all of 
the same jury ; but a court still less scrupulous than that of tho Regulators, 

- comiK)sed of t!ie ruffianism, that at any hour can bo collectctl within the 
bounds of a border settlement — especially when proximate to a miliUry 
post. 

Tho reports that have thus gone abroad are to some a subject of surprise. 
Moderate po jple see no reason why the prisoner should be again brought 
to trial in that-irregular way. 

The facts, that have lately come to light, do not alter the case — at least, 
in any way to strengtlien tho testimony against him. 

If the four horsemen seen were not Indians — and this has been clearly 
shown by the discovery of the disguisi*s — it is not the less likely that they 
have had to do with the death of young Poindexter. Besides, there is 
nothing to connect them with the mustanger, any mere than if they had 
been real Comanches. 

Why, then, this antipathy against tho respited prisoner, for tho second 
time surging upV 

There is a strangeness about the thing that perplexes h good many 
people. 

Tliere are a few that understand, or suspect, the cause. A very few : 
perhaps only three individuals. 

Two of them are Zeb Stump and Louise Poindexter; tho third Captain 
Cassius Calhoun. 

The old hunter, with instinct keenly on the aleit, has discovered some 
underhanded action — the actors being Migutd Diaz and his men, associaiA-d 
with a half-score of like characters of a different race — tho “ rowdies ” of 
the settlement. Zeb has traced the action to its instigator — the ox-captidn. 
of volunteer cavalry. 

He has communicttted his discovery to the young Creole, who is equal to 
the understanding of it. It is the too clear comprehension of its truth that 
now inspi res her with a keen solicitude. 

Anxiously she awaits every word of news — watches tho road leading 
from the Fort to Casa del Corvo, as if the sentence of her own death, 



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/;. ■. >■* : ’ 



THE HEADLESS HORSKMAW. 




or tlio Bocurity of her life, hung upon the lips of some eourier to eome 
that way I 

bhe >lare not show herself at tlie ]>rison. There are soldiers on guard, 
and spectators around it — a crowd of tlio idle curious, who, in all countries, 
seem to feed soma sort of sombre enjoyment in the proximity of those who 
Committed great crimes. 

Tiiere is an additional piquancy in the circumstances of this one. The 
criminal is insane ; or, at all events, for the time out of liis senses. 

The guard house doors are at all hours besieged— to the great discomfort 
of the sentries— l)y people eager to listen to the mutterings of the delirious 
man. A lady could not pass in without having scores of eyes turned in- 
quiringly upon her. Louise Poindexter cannot run the gauntlet of those 
looks without risk to her reputation. 

Left to herself, perhaps she would have attempted it. Watched by a 
father whose suspicions are already awakened ; by a near relation, equally 
interested in preserving her spotless, before the eyes of the world— she has 
no opportunity for the act of imprudence. 

She can only stay at homo ; now shut up in her solitary chamber, solaced 
by the remembrance of those ravings to which she had listened upon the 
Alamo ; now upon the azotea, cheered by the recollection of that sweet 
time spent among the mezquite trees, the spot itself almost discernible, 
where she had surrendered the proudest passion of her heart ; but saddi-ned 
by the thouglit that he to whom she surrrendered it is now humiliated — 
disgraced — shut up within the walls of a goal — perchance to be delivered 
from it only unto death 1 

To her it was happy tidings, when, upon the morning of the fourth day, 
Zeb Stump made his appearance at Casa del Corvo, bringing the intellig- 
ence that the “lioss-sogers bed kum back to the Fort.” 

There was significance in the news thus ungrammatically imparted. 
There was no longer a danger of the perpetration of that foul act hitherto 
apj)rehended : a prisoner taken from uis guards, not for rescue, but ruin ! 

*• Ele need’t be uneezy ’beout thet ere ewent," said Zeb, speaking with a 
confidence he had not shown for some time. ” Thur’s no longer a danger 
o’ it cornin’ to pass. Miss Lewaze. I’ve tuk preecaushins agin it.” 

"Precautions! How, Zeb?” 

" Wal ; fust place, I’ve seed the major doss arter his cornin’ back, an* 
gied him a bit o’ my mind. I toll bim the hul story, as fur’s I know it 
myself. By good luck he ain’t agin the young fellur, but the tother way I 
reck’n. Wal, I tolt him o’ the goin’s on o’ the hul crew — Amerikins, Mex- 
ikins, an’ all o’ them — not forgettin’ the ugly Spanyard o’ the name o’ 
Dee ez, thet’s been one o’ tlie sarciest o’ the lot. The reo-sult’s been thet 
the major hez doubled the sentries roun’ the prison, an’s goin’ to keep ’em 
doubled.” 

” I am so glad I You think there Is no longer any fear from that 
quarter ?” 

“ If you mean the quarter o’ Mister Migooel Dee-ez, I kin swar to it. 
Afore he thinks o’ gittin’ any b’dy else out o’ a prison, he’s got to git his- 
sell out.” 

“ What ; Diaz in prison I How ? When ? Where ?” 

” You’ve asked three seprit quest^uns. Miss Lewaze, all o’ a heep. Waif 


THB HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


29S 


*' 



I reck’n the conveenientest way to answer ’em ’ll be to take ’em bnckiird* 
An' fust as to the whnr. As to thet, thur’s but one prison in these parts, .as I 
’ud be likely to hold him. Thet is the guard-house at the Fort. He’s I 
tliur.” I 

" Along with ” j 

“ 1 know who ye’re goin’ to name — the young fellur. Jest so. They’re i 
in the same biiildin’, tlio’ not ’znckly in the same room. Thur’s purtilion ■ 
utween ’em ; tho’ for thet matter they kin convarso, ef thej’’re so incliinnl. 
Tliiir’s three others shet up along wi’ the Mexikin — his own cussed cum- i 
marndes. Tho throe ’ll have somethin’ to talk ’beout ’mong themselvt*, 1 | 
reck'n.” f 

“ This is good nows, Zeb. You told me yesterday that Diaz was active ■ 

in ” j 

" Gittin’ hisself into a scrape, which he hev beeiLsucceasful in effectua' in’. » 
He’s got hisself into the jug, or someb’y else hev did thet bizness for hi n.” r 
" But how — when — you’ve not told mo ?” 

” Oeehosophat ! Mies Lewaze. Qi’ mo a loetle time. I hain’t drew bD^ath i 
vet, since I kim in. Yur second questyun war icAm. /<air eezy answered, f 
’ Beout a hour agone thet ere varmint wur trapped an’ locked up. 1 war ' 
at the shettin’ o’ the door ahint him, an’ kum straight enstrut hyur arter it ' 
war done.” 

“ But you have not yet said why he is arrested.” 1 

“ 1 hain’t bed a chance. It air a longish story, an’ ’ll take a leetle time » 

in tho tellin’. Will ye listen to it now, or arter ?” | 

" After what, Mr. Stump ?” | 

“ Wall, Jliss Lewaze, I only meened arter — arter — I git the ole maar i 
put up. Slie air stannin’ thur, as if she’d like to chaw a yeer o’ corn, an j 
sejmethin’ to wet it down. Both she ’nd mo c been on a longish tramp ' 
afore we got back to the fort ; which we did scace a hour ago.” > 

“ Pardon mo, dear Mr. Slump, for not thinking of it. Pluto; take Mr. i 
Stump’s horse to the stable, and see that it is fed. Florindel Florinde ! f 
What will you eat, Mr. Stump ?” •; 

" Wall, as for thet. Miss Lewaze, thank ye all the same, but I ain’t so i 
partikh r sharp set. I war only thinkin’ o’ the maar. For myself, I ked t 
go a kupple o’ hours longer ’itiiout eetin’, but ef thur’s sech a thing us a ' 
smell o’ Monongaheely ’b^ut the place, it ’ud do this ole karkidge o’ mine ■ 
a power o’ good.” 

Monongahela ? plenty of it. Surely you will allow me to ^ve you 
Bomeihing belter ?’’ j 

" Better ’n Monnongaheely 1” I 

" Yes. Some sherry— champagne— brandy if yon prefer it.” t 

“ Let '.hem drink brandy as like it, and kin git it drinkable. 'Thur may 
be some o’ it good enuf ; an’ ef thur air. I’m sure itll be foun’ in tho house ; 
o’ a Poindexter. I only knows o’ tho sort tho sutler keeps up at the fort. 

Ef thur ever wur a medi-ein«, thet’s one. It ’ud rot the guts out o’ a alley - 1 
gatur. No; darn thur French lickers ; an’ specially thur brandy. C i’ me ‘ 
the pure corn juice; an’ the best o’ sdl, thetas comes from Pittsburg on > 
tho Motongaheely.” i 

"Floiinde! Florindel” ■ 

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♦“ "NU 14444) ' 


TIIK HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


; 300 

I 

; TliO pfeaenco of Zob Stump indicated the acrvico for which aim had been 
‘ smuinonod. Without waiting to receive the onier she went off, and t!ie 
; moment after returned, carrying a decanter half-filled with what Zeb calh d 
the “ pure corn juice,” but which was in reality the essence of rye — for from 
tliia grain is distilled the celebrated Monongahela.” 

Zeb was not alow to refresh hiniaelf. A full third of the contents of the 
deciinter were aoon put out of eight — the other two thirds remaining for lu- 
I lure potations that might bo required in tho course of the narration Uiion 
whith he was about to enter. 

1 


; CHAPTER LXX. 

GO, ZEH, AND OOD SPEED YOU ! 

; The old hunter never did tilings in a hurry. Even his stylo of drinking 
■ was not an exception ; and altii nigii there was no time wasted, he quaffed 
: the Monongahela in a formal leisurely manner. 

The Creole, impatient to hour what ho had to relate, did not wait for him 
i :o resume speech. 

; " Tell mo, dear Zob,” said she, after directing her maid to withdraw, “ why 

! have they arrested this Mexican — Miguel Diaz I mean ? I think I know 
something of the man. I have reasons.” 

“ An’ you ain’t tho only purson may hev reezons for knowin’ him, Miss 
’ Lewazo. Yur brother — but never mind ’beout that — leastways not now. 
What Zeb Stump do know, or strongly surspeci’ air, thet this same-mention 

ijd Migixiel Doe-ez hev had somethin’ to do wi’ You know what I’m 

refarrin’ to ?” 
j “Go on, Mr. Stump 1” 

I " Wal, tho story air this. Artor we kim from tho Alamo Crick, the fellurs 
>' that went in sarcli o’ them Injuns, foun’ out they wan’t Injuns at all. Ye 
hev hearn that yurself. From tho fixins that were diskevered in tho holler 
, tree, it air clar that what we seed on tho Bluff war party o’ whites. 1 hed a 
1 a surspishun o’t myself — soon as I seed them curds they’d left ahint ’em 
in the shanty.” 

! “ It was tho same, then, who visited the jacalo at night — tho same Phe- 

lim saw?’’ 

‘ “ Ne’er a doubt o’ it. Thom samo Mexikins.” 

“ What reason have you to think they were Mexicans?” 

I “ The best o’ all roezuns. I foun’ 'em out to bo ; traced the hull kit o’ ’em 
' to thur eache." 

] The young Creole made no rejoinder. Zeb’s story promised a revelation 
that might be favorable to her hopes. She stood resignedly waiting for him 
to continue. 

" Ye see, the curds, an’ also some words, the which the Irish war able to 
sort o’ pemounce, arter a fashun o’ his own, tolt me they must a been o’ the 
yeller-belly breed ; and sartint ’bout that much, 1 war able to gie a tol’able 
.mess as to where they hed kim from. I knowe’d enuf o’ the Mexikins o’ 
liiose parts to think o’ four us answered thar description to a T. As to th« 


THE HEADLESS HORSSHAN. 


80 i 

Injun duds, thar warn’t nuthin in them to bamboozle me. Arter this. I 
ked a gone straighi to the hul four fellers, an’ pinted em’ out ior saitia. 
One o’ 'em .'"or sure sartin. On him I’d made my mark. I war conneent 
o’ havin’ did thet.” 

“ Your mark ! IIow, Zeb ? ’ „ 

“ You rememl*er the shot I fired from tho door o’ tho shanty ? 

“ Oh, certainly 1 I did not see the Indians. I was under the trees at the 
time. 1 saw you discharge your rifle at something.” 

“Wall, Miss Lewazo; this hyur coon don’t often dischurge thet thur 
wi‘ajH>n without drawin’ bl(X)d. I kiiowod I hut tho skunk ; but it war 
rayther fur for tho carry o’ tho piece, an’ I reckoned tho ball war a bit 
sjient. F’r all that, I know’d it must a stung him. I wed him ^uirm to 
the shot, an’ I says to myself: Et ther ain’t a hole thnnigh his hide some- 
whar, this coon won’t mind changing skins wi’ him. al, arter they kim 
home wi’ the story o’ whites instead o’ red-skins, I hed a tol’ablo clur 'dee 
who tho sham Injuns wur, an’ ked a laid my claws on ’em at any mic:ait. 
But I didn’t.” 

“And why not, Mr. Stump ? Surely you havn t allowed them to get 
away? They might be tlio very men who are guilty of my poor buiih- 

* y* 

er 8 , , T I • 

“Thai’s jest what this coon thort, an’ it war for that reozen I le; em 

slide. There war another reezen besides. I didn’t much like goi.i fur 

from tho Fort, lee# somethin ugly mout turn up in my abaince. You uu- 

derstan ? There iTar another reezen still for not prospectin’ arter them jest 
then, I wanted to make shur o’ my game.” 

“ And you have ? ' 

“ Shur as shootin.’ I guessed thur wan’t goin’ to be any ram, an thurfor 
thur war no irameedyit hurry as to what I intended doin’. So I waited till 
he sogers shed get back, an’ I ked safely leave him in tho guardhoas. 
Sfvin as they kim in, I tuck the old maar and rud out to tho place whar our 
fellurs had struck upon the fixins. I eezy foun’ it by thur descripshun. 
Wal, as they’d only got that greenhorn, Spangler, to guide ’em, I war put- 
ty sure the sign hed’nt been mor'n helf read : an’ that J'd get somethin out 
o’ it, beside what they’d brought away.” 

“ I wan’t disapjiointed. The durndest fool as ever set fut uixm a 
purayra, mout a followed the back track o’ them make-believe Kimancbocs. 
A storekeeper ked a traced it acrost the pi^yra, though it appears noy- 
thor Mister Spangler nor any o’ the others did. I foun it eezy as faUiu off 
a log, not’iihstandin’ thet the sarchers had rud all over it, 1 tracked every 
boss o’ the four counterfits to his own stable.” 

After 

“ Arter doin' thet I hed a word wi’ the major ; an* in half an hour at the 
meet the four beauties wur safe shot up in the guard-house — the^ chief o 
'em bein’ jugged fust, leest bo mout get wind o' what wur goin fc^ard, 
an’ sneak out o’ the way. I wan’t fur astray ’beont Mister Migoool Dee-ez 
bearin’ my mark. We foun’ the tar o’ a bullet through the fleshy part o 
his dexter wing ; and tliet explained why he wur so quick at lettin’ go hia 
laryette.” 

“ It was he, then 1” mechanically remarked Louise, as she stood reflect 

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THK HEADLESS HORSEMAK. 


im 

“Very strange!” she continued, still muttering the words to herself 
*• He it was I saw in the chapparal glade 1 Yea, it must have been ! And 
the woman— this Mexican— Isidora ? Ah I There is some deep mystery in 
all this — some dark design I Who can unravel it ?” 

“Tell me, dear Zeb,” she asked, stepping closer to the old hunter, nn<i 
speaking with a certain degree of hesitancy. “ That woman— flie Mexican 
lady I mean — who — who was out there. Do you know if she has olti n 
visited him T 

“Him I Which him. Miss Lewaze?” 

“Mr. Gerald, I mean.” 

"She mout, an’ she moutn’t— 'ithout my knowin’ eyther one or the 
tother. I ain’t often there myself. The place air out o’ my tisooal huntin' 
ground, an’ I only go now an’ then for the sake o’ a change. Thecrik'i 
fust rate for both deer an’ gobbler. If ye ask my opeenyun, I’d say ihm 
thet ere gurl heven’t never l.ecn thur nlore. Leestwise, I havin’ hecrn o’ 
it; an’ ef’t hed been so, I reckon Irish Pheelum ud a hed somethin’ to ray 
abeout it. Besides I hev other reezuns for thinkin’ so. I’ve only heern o’ 
one o’ tlie shemale sex bein’ on a visit to thet shanty.” 

“ Who?” quickly intorrogated the (’reolo, the instant after regretting that 
she had asked the question — the color coming to her cheeks, ns she noticed 
the significant glance with which Zeb hud accompanied his concluding re- 
mark. 

“ No matter,” she continued, without waiting for the answer. 

"So, Zeb,’’ she went on, giving a quick turn to the conversation, “yon 
think that these men have had to do with that which is causing sorrow to 
all of us.— these Mexicans ?” 

“ To tell you the truth, Mias Ijcwazo, I don’t know zackly what to think. 
It air the most musteeriousi'at consarn as iver kim to pass on these here 
purayras. Sometimes I hev the idea that the Mexikins must a did it; 
while at others. I’m in tho opj'osite way o’ thinkin’ an* thet some’dy else 
hev hed a han’ in the black bizness. I won’t say who.” 

“ Not him, Zeb ; not him P' 

" Not the mowstanger. No, neer a bit o’ thet. In spite o’ all that’s 
flayed agin him, 1 hnin’t the lecst surspishun o’ his innersense.” 

“ Oil I how is ho to prove it ? It is said, that the testimony is all against 
Aim ! No one to speak a word in his boh df 1” 

“ Wal, it ain’t so cortint as to thet. Keepin’ my eye upon the others, an’ 
his prison ; I hain’t hed much chance o’ gettin’ al^ut. Tliur’s a opportu- 
nity now ; an’ I mean to make use o’ it. The purayra’s a big book. Miss 
Peintdexter — a wonderful big book — for them as knows how to read the 
print o’t. If not much o’ a scholar otherways, Zeb’lon Stump hev lamt to 
do thet. Thur may be some testymoney that mout help him, scattered 
over the musquit grass — ^jest as I’ve heom a Methody prcechir say, thur 
war sarmints in stones, an’ books in runnin’ brutes.’ El’t air so, thur 
oughter be somethin’ o’ the kind scared up on the Alamo crik.” 

“ You think you might discover some traces?” 

“ W’all ; I’m goin’ out to hev a look ’roun’ me — speecially at the place 
whur I foun’ the young fellur in the claws o’ the spotted painter. I oughter 
goho afore now, but for the rei znn I’ve tolt ye. Thank the Awlmighty 1 
thur’s been no wet — neer y droi> ; on’ whataomiver sign’s been made for a 


THS HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


8 ( 1 ?: 

« jek past, kin be understood as well, as if it war did yisterday — that is by 
tl.em as knows how to read it. I must start straight away. Miss Lewazo. 
I jest runned down to tell ye what hed been done at the Fort, Thur’s no 
lime to be throwed away. They let me in this mornin’ to see tho young 
Tellur ; an’ I’m sartin his head air gettm’ clurrer. Soon as it air all right, 
I ho re’glators say, they’ll insist on the trial takin’ place. It may be less’n 
three days ; an’ I must git back afore it begins.” 

“ Go, Zeb, and God speed you on your generous errand 1 Come back with 
proofs of hit innocence, and ever after I shall feel indebted to you for — for 
— more than life 1” 


CHAPTER LXXI. 

THE SORREL HORSE. 

iNSPraED by this passionate appeal, tho hunter hastened towards tho stable 
whore ho had stalled his unique specimen of horse flesh. 

Ho found the " critter” sonorously shelling some corn-cobs, which Plu\j 
had placed liberally before her. 

Pluto himself was standing by her side. 

Contrary to his usual habit, the sable groom was silent : though with a a 
air anything but tranquil. Ho looked rather triste than excited. 

It might be easily explained. Tho loss of his young master — by Pluto 
much beloved — the sorrow of his young mistress, equally estimated — 
perhaps some scornful B{>eeche8 which he had lately been treated to 
from tho lips of FJorinde — and still more likely a kick he had receive! 
from the boot-toe of Captain Cassius — for several days assuming sol) 
mastery over the mansion — amply accounted for the unquiet expres-sioii 
observable on his countenance. 

Zeb was too much occupied with his own thoughts to notice tho 
sorrowful mien of tho domestic. He was even in loo great a hurry to lo . 
tho old mare finish her meal of maize, which she stood greatly in ncinl of. 

Grasping her by the snout, he stuck the rusty snaffle between her teeth ; 
pulled her long i-ars through the cracked leathern hcadstraps : and, turning 
her in tho stall, was about to lead her out. 

It was a reluctant movement on the part of tho mare — to be dragged 
away from such provender as she rarely chanced to get between her jaws. 

She did not turn without a struggle ; and Zeb was obliged to pull vigor- 
ously on tho bridle-rein before he could detach her muzzle from tho manger 

“ Ho' ho ! Mass’ Tump 1” interposed Pluto. “ Why you go ’way in dat 
big hurry ? Do poor ole ma’ she no half got u’m feed. Why you no let 
her fill her belly wif de com ? Hal ha I It do her power ob good.” 

“ Han’t got time, nigger. Goin’ off on a bit o’ a jumey. Got ab«x)ut a 
hundred mile to make in less an’ a kupple o’ hours.” 

“ Ho ! hoi Dat ere de fastest kind o’ trabbelin’- You’m iokin.* Maarf 
Tump?” 

“ No, I aint.” 

“ Gorramity I Wa — dey do make won’ful journey on dese hyur prainia 


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;i04 


THE HEADLESS HOUSEMAN. 


^ 1 reck’n dat cro Lo.-8 must u irabbelod two bunner mile de odder night. 

* " What ho88 

“ Do ole sorrel doro — in dat furrest 'tand from de door — Massa Oahoon 
lioss ** 

“ What makes yo think lu) travelled two hunner mile ? , 

“ Kaso he kum homo all kibbered ober wif de froff. Besido, he wa so 
done up he scace able to walk, when dis chile lead um down to de ribba fu 
gib um drink. lie 'tagger like new-drop calf. Uo I ho 1 he wa broke down 
^he wa 1” . , o.* 

! " O’ what night are yo palaverin,’ Piute? . , tt 

i “Whani'dit? Le’ ss see 1 Why, oh coas de night Massa Ilenrv wa 
inicsed from de plantashun. Dat same night in de mornin , bout an hour 
^ utter de sun git up into do hebbings. I no see de ole sorrel afore den, kaso 
i I no out ob my sk.-eta-bar till atter daylight. Den I kum ’cross to do table 
< liya, an’ don 1 see dat quadrumpid all kibbered ober wif sweet aii froff 
I lookin’ like he’d swiinmed through de big ribba, an pantm s ii hejes 
( finish a fo’ mile race on do Metairie course at New Orleans. 

-j “ Who had him out tliat night ?” . , „ j . -j i i 

'• Doan know. Mass’ Tump. Only dat nobody ’lowed to ride de sorrel 
'cept Massa Gaboon hisself. IIo ! ho ! Ne’er a body lowed lay leg ober 

dat critter.” , . o.. 

“ Why, wan’t it himself that tuk the anymal out f 

“Doan know, Massa Tump; doan know do why nor de whafor. Dis 
chile neider see de Caji’n take um out nor foich um in. 

“ If yur statement air true ’beout his bein’ in sech a ewuat, somebdy 
must a bed him out, an’ been ridin’ o’ him. ’ 

Ila! ha! iSomeb’dy muss, dat am certing.” ... 

“ Ijooke hyur, Piute ! Yo flint a bad sort o a darkie, though your skin air 
o’ a sut color. I rek’n you’re tollin’ the truth ; an’ ye don’t know who rud 
i out the sorrol that night. But who do you think it war? I m only axin 

' because, as yo know, Mr. Poindexter air a friend o mine, an I don t want 

his property to be abused — no more what belongs to Capen Calhoun, 
i Some of the field niggers, I reck’u, h';v stole the anymal out o the stable, 
an’ liev bevn ridin’ it all roun’ the country. TIiatBit, aint, it? 

I “ Well, no. Mass’ Tump. Dis chile doan believe dat am it. De fiel bands 
i not ’lowed inside hyur. Der darn’t com in to de ’table no how. Twani 
i any nigger upon dis plantashun as tooked out de sorrel dat night. 

' •* DurS it. then, who ked a tuk him out ? Maybe the overseer? War it 

[ him d’ye think ?” 

’Twant him needer.” . , , i • iro 

j “ Who then ked it be ; unless it war the owner o the boss hisself? If so. 

thur’s an end o’ it. He I ed the right to ride his critter wharover 
I and gallop it to h— I ef t:;at war agreeable to him. It amt no bizness o 

; ”*^50 ! ho I Nor mycn, needer, Mass’ Tump. Wish I’d thought dat way 

Why do ye weash that? What happened this mornin’ to change yur 

j “ llo I what happen dis mornin’? Dar jiappen to dis nigga a great mi* 

; fcrtin’. llol— ho! berry great misfortin’.” 


THE HEADLESS HOKSEMAN. 


305 


" What war it?” 

“dolly, Massa Tump, I’se got kicked— dis berry mornin’, jess ’bout an 
fiour after twelve o’clock in de day.” 

“ Kicked !” 

“ Dat I did shoo — all around do ’table.” 

“ Oh I by the bosses ! Which o’ the brutes kicked yo ?” 

“ Ho I— -ho ! you mistaken ! Not any ob do bosses, but de massa ob dera 
all ’cept little Spotty da, do which ho doan’t own. I was kicked by Mass’ 
Calioon.” 

“ 'fhe h — I ye wur ! For what reezun ? Ye must hev been misbehavin’ 
yurself, nigger?” 

“ Di.s nigga wan’t mis-b’avin’ ’t all ; not as he knows on. I only ask de 
cap’n what put de ole sorrel in such a dreful condishin dat ere night, an’ 
wliat make ’im so tired down. He say it not my bizness ; an’ den ho kick 
me ; an’ den he larrup mo wif de, cow-hide ; an’ den he threaten ; an’ den 
he tell me, if I ebber ’peak bout dat same ting (alder time, he gib me 
bunder lashes ob de wagon whip. He swa ; oh! how he swa! ’Dis chile ' 
nebba see Mass Gaboon so mad — nebba, in all ’im life !” | 

“ But whar’s ho now? I don’t st^e him nowhar’ beout the premises ; an | 
I reck’n ho ain’t rud out, seein’ as the sorrel's hyur'f” ‘ 

“ Golly, yes. Mass Tump : he j<;se am ro<le out at dis tim« He ob late 
go berry much away from de house an’ lay long time.” 

" A hossback ?” i 

“ Jess so. He go on the steel grey. Ha !— ha ! ho doan’ ride de sorrel ! 

much now. He hain’t mount 'im once since do night do ole boss wa out j| 

dat night we been ’peakin’ ’bout Maybe he tink he hab enuf hard ridin’ I 
den, an’ need long ’pell ob ress.” 

“ liOok’ee hyur, Piute,” said Z*;b, after standing silent for a second or ’ 
two, apparently engaged in some ab.struse calculation. “Arter all, I reck n 
I’d better let the ole maar hev another yeer or two o’ the com. She’s got f 
a long spell o’ travellin’ afore her ; an’ she mout breakdown on the journey * 
The more haste air sometimes the wusser sj^cihI ; an’ thurfor I kalkerlato' ' 
I’d b(4ter gie the critter her time. While she’s munchin’ a mouthful I 
ked do the same myself. ’Sjwse. then, you skoot acrosst to the kitchen an’ 
see ef thur ain’t some chawin’ stuff thur— a bit o’ cold meat an’ a pone o’ 
corn bread ’ll do, Yur young mistress wanted me to hev somethin’ to eet I ‘ 
but I war skeert abeout delyin’, an’ refused. Now, while I’m waitin’ on the ’ 
maar, I reck n I ked pick a bone,— jest to pass the time.” 

“ Sartin’ ye cud. Mas Tump. I go fotch ’im in de liundrcth part ob an f 
instant. ■, 

bo saying the black -skinned Jehu started off across the vatio, leaving Zeh ' 
Stump sole " master of the stole.” “ i. 

The air of indifference with which he had concluded his dialogue with I 
Pluto disappeared, the moment the latter was outside the door. 

It had been altogether assumed : as was proved by the earnest attitude ‘ 
that instantly replaced it. ^ 

Striding across the paved causeway, that separated the two rows of stalli. k 
he entered that occupied by the sorrel. ‘ '' 

Th* animal shied off, and stood trembling against the wall— perhaps 




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30C 


THB HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


awed by^ the look of resolution with which the huuter had approached ii 

" .'itan still, ye brute, ” chided Zeb. “ I don’t mean no harm to you, tho' 
by yur looks I reck’n ye’re as vicious as yur master. Stan’ still, I say, an’ 
let’s heva look at yur futgear I” 

So saying, he stooped forward, and made an attempt to lay hold of one of 
the fore legs. 

It was unsuccessful. The horse suddenly drew up his hoof ; and com- 
I monced hammering the flags with it, snorting— as if in fear that some 
trick was about to be played upon him. 

“ Dum yur ugly karkidge I” cried Zeb, angrily venting the words. 
“ Wliy don’t ye stan’ still ? Who’s goin’ to hurt ye? Come, ole critter I’’ 
he continued, coaiingly, “ I only want to see how ye’ve been shod.” 

Again he attempted to lift the hoof, but was prevented by the restive 
. behaviour of tho horse. 

" Wal, this air a difaequilty I didn’t expeck,” muttered he, glancing 
'round to see how it might be overcome. “What’s to be did? It’ll 
never do to hev the nigger help me — nor yet see what I’m abeout — tho 
which he will ef I don’t get quick through wi’ it. Dog-gone the boss I 
How am I to git his feet up ?” 

For a short while he stood considering, his countenance showing a 
peevish impatience. 

“Cuss the critter I” ho again exclaimed. “1 feel like knockin’ him over 
whar he stan’s. Ha I now I hev it, if tho nigger will only gie time. I 
hope the wench will keep him waiten’ Durn ye I I’ll make ye stan’ still, 
or choke ye detd ef ye don’t. Wi’ this roun’ yur jugewlar, I reck’n ye 
. won’t be so skittish.” 

While speaking he had lifted the trail-rope from his own saddle : and, 
throwing its noose over the head of the sorrel, he shook it down till it en- 
I circled the animal’s neck. 

Then hauling upon the other end, he drew it taut as a bowstring. 

The horse for a time kept starting about the stall, and suorting with 
I rage. 

But his snorts were soon changed into a hissing sound, that with diffi- 
i culty escaped through his nostrils ; and his wrath resolved itself into 
terror. The rope tightly compre&sing his throat was the cause of tho 
change. 

■i Zeb now approached him without fear ; and, after making tho slip fast, 

! commenced lifting his feet one after the other — scrutinizing each, in great 
I hasce, but at the same time with sufficient care. He appeared to take note 
i of tho shape, shoeing, the number and relative position of tlie nails — in 
short, everything that might suggest an idiosyncrasy, or assist in a future 
j identifleation. 

^ On coming to the off hind foot — which he did last of the four; an oX- 
’ clamation escaped him that proclaimed some satisfactory surprise. It 
j %va8 caused by the sight of a broken shoe nearly a quarter of which 
f was missing from the hoof, the fracture having occurred at the second nail 
from the cauker. 

^ “ Ef I’d know’d o’ you,” he muttered in apostrophe to the imperfect 

^ shoe, ” I moat a’ saved myself the trouble o’ examinin’ the tothera. Thur 

\ 

I 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


307 


ain’t much chance o’ mistakin’ the print you'd be likely to leave ahint ya 
To make shur. I’ll jest take ye long wi me.” 

In conformity with this resolve, he drew out his huge hunting knife— 
tho blade of which, near the hilt, was a quarter of an inch thick — and, in- 
serting It under the piece of iron, ho wrenched it from tho hoof. 

’faking care to have the nails along, he transferred it to the capacious 
pocket of his coat. 

Then nimbly gliding back to the trail-rope, he undid the knot ; and res- 
tored the interrupted respiration of the sorrel. 

Pluto came in the moment after, bringing a plentiful supply of refresh- 
ments — including a tumbler of the Monongahela ; aud to these Zeb instant- 
ly applied himself, without saying a word about tho interlude that had oc- 
•urred during the darkey’s absence. 

The latter, however, did not fail to percieve that the sorrel was out of 
sorts : for tho animal, on finding itself released, stood shivering in tho 
stall, gazing around in a sort of woe begone wonder after tho rough treat- 
ment to which he had been submitted. 

“ Gorramity 1” exclaimed the black, “ what am de matter wif de ole 
boss? Ho I ho I he look like ho wa afeerd ob you. Mass ’fumpl” 

“ Oh, ye— os !” drawled Zeb, with seeming cartdessness. " I reck’n ho 
air a bit afeerd. He war makin’ to get at my ole maar, so I gied him a 
larrup or two wi’ tho eend o’ my trail rope, ’fhet's what has rousted 
him.” 

Pluto was perfectly satisfied with the explanation, and the subject was 
permitted to drop, 

“ Ijook hyur, Piute!” said Zeb, starting another. “ Who does the shoein’ 
o’ yur cattle? 'fhar’s some o’ the hands air a smith, I reck’n?” 

“ Ilo I ho I Dat dere am. Yella Jake he do de shooin’. Fo what you 
ask, Mass Tump?” 

“ Wal ; I war thinkin’ o’ havin’ a kupplo o’ shoes put on the hind feet o’ 
the maar. I reck’n Jake ud do it for me.” 

“ Ilo ! ho 1 he do it wif a thousan’ welkim— dat he will, I’se shoo.” 

“ Questyuu is, kin I spare the time to wait. How long do it take him to 
put on a kupplo V” 

“ Ix)r, Mass Tump, berry short while. Jake fust-rate han’ at de bizness. 
Ebberybody say so.” 

“ He moutn’t have the mateerils ridly ? It depends on whether he’s 
been shoein’ lately. IIow long’s it since he shod any o’ yourn ?” 

“ More’n a week I blieb. Mass’ Zeb. Ho — ho ! Do last war Missa 
Looey boss — de beautiful ’potty dar. But dat won’t make no differens. 
I know he hab de fixins all ready. I knows it, kase he go for shoe do 
sorrel. De ole hoss hab one ob de hind shoo broke. He hab it so de lass 
ten day ; an’ Mass Gaboon, ho gib orders for it be remove. Ho — hoi dis 
berry mornin’ I hear um tell Jake.” 

“ Arter all,” replied Zeb, ns if suddenly changing his mind, “ I moutn’t 
hev the time to spare. I reck’n I II let tho ole critter do ’ithout till I kuiu 
back. The tramp I’m goin' on — most part o’ it — lies over grass purayra ; 
an’ won’t hurt her.” 

“ No, I hevn’t time,” he added, after stepping outside and glancing up 
towards the sky. “ 1 most 'ue off from hyur in the shakin’ o' a goat’s taiL 


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Now, ole gallyou’vo got to stop yur muncliin’ nn take this bit o' iron 
atwixt yur toetli. Open yur corn trap for it. That’s the putty pet !" 

And so continuing to talk — now to Piuto, now to the mare— he once 
more adjus ed the headstall ; led the animal out; and, clambering into the 
Baddle, rode thoughtfully away. 


CHAPTER LXXII. 

EEB STUMP ON THE T RATT. 

After getting clear of the enclo.sures of Casa del Corvo, the hunter head- 
ed his animal up stream— in the direction of the Fort and town. 

It was the former ho intended to reach— which he did in a ride of less 
*han a quarter of an hour. 

(^mmonly it took him three to accomplish this distance ; but on this oc- 
casion he was in an unusual state of excitement, and he made sjwed to 
correspond. The old maro could go fast enough when required — that is 
when Zeb required her — and ho had a mode of quickening her speed — 
known only to himself, and only employed ujKjn extraordinary occasions. It 
simply consisted in drawing tiie bowie knife from his belt, and inserting 
about nn inch of its blade into the mare’s hip, close to the termination ol 
the spine. 

The effect was like magic ; or, if you prefer the figure — electricity. So 
spurred, Zob’s “ critter ” could accomplish a mile in three minutes ; an«l 
more than once had she been called upon to show this capability, when her 
owner was chased by Comanches. 

Oa the present occasion there was no necessity for such excessive speed, 
and the Fort was reached after fifteen minutes’ sharp trotting. 

On reaching it. Zeb slipped out of the saddle, and made his way to tho' 
quarters of the commandant ; while tho mare was left panting upon the 
parade grouml. 

'fho old hunter had no difficulty in obtaining an interview with the mili- 
tary chief of Fort Inge. Ijooked ui)on by tlu; officers as a sort of priviledg- 
ed character, he had tho entree at all times, and could go in without eoun- 
tersign, or any of tho other formalities usually demanded from a stranger. 
The Sentry jmssed him, as a matter of course — tho officer of the guard only 
exchanged with him a word of ^\elcomu ; and the adjutant at once announ- 
ced his name to tho major commanding the cantonment. 

From his first words, the latter had been expecting him. 

“ Ah I Mr. Stump ! Glad to see you so soon. Have you made any dis- 
covery in tills queer affiair ? From your quick return, I can almost say you 
have. Something, I hope, in lavor of this unfortunate young fellow. 
Notwithstanding that appearanc a are strongly against him, I still adhere 
to my old opinion— that he is innocent. What have you learnt?” 

“ Wal, Majo,” answered Zeb, without making other obeisance than the sim- 
ple politene.s3 of r.unoviug his hat, “ what I’vo larnt aint much, tho’ enough 
(0 fetch me buck to tho Fort ; where I didn’t intend to come, till I’d gone a 


I 


J 


TUK IIEADLKSB HORSEMAN. 


309 


I kirn back hyur to hev a word wi' 


bit o’ a jumey acrosst the purayras. 
yurself.” ,, 

“ In welcome. What is it you have to say ( _ , j -i 

“ That ye’ll keep back this trial as long as yo ken raisonably do so. 1 
know thur’s a pressyur Irom the outside ; but I know, too, that ye ve got 
the power to resist it, an what’s more. Muje— ye ve got the will. , 

“ I have You siieak quite truly about that, Mr. Stump. And as to the 
power, I have that, too, in a certain sense. But as you are aware 
great republic, the military power must always subservient to the uvil 
-unless under martial-law, whirl. God forbid should ever be re<iuired among 
US-even here in Texas. I can go so far as to hinder any open violation of 

the law ; but I cannot go against the law itselt.” OnW 

“ Tau’t th-i law I want ye to go agin. No' lung o the sort, Majo. Only i 
them ns air liKe to take it into thur own hands, an twist it abooul to squar ; 
it wi’ thur own puri.isses. Thur’s them in this Settlement as ud de thet, , 
ef they aint rustraiued. One in esiiecial ’ud like to do it ;^and 1 knows who • 
Ihet one air— leestwise I hev a tolabie clur guess o him. , 

“Who?” . ' 

“ Yur good to keep a seecret, Maie ? I know ye air. 

*•' Mr. Stump 1 what passes iiero is in coitfideuce. You may sp^Ak your , 

mind freely.” , , . , . 

“ ’fhen my mind air : thet the man who hez dud this murder am t 

Maurice the Mows’anger.” | 

“ That’s my own belief. You know it already. Have you nothing more 

to communicaU^?” , , . . r 

“ Wal, Maje, preehaps I ked communerkato a leetle more ef you insist { 
upon it. But the time ain’t riiie for tollin’ ye what I’ve larnt— the which, f 
arter all, only mounts to surspishuns. I may be wrong; an Id rayther | 
you’d let me keep ’un to mysdf till I hev made a short exkurshun acr^t ; 
io the Noocers. Aner thet, you’ll be welcum to what I know now, besides . 
what I may bo able to gather off o’ the purayras. ; 

“ So far a^ I am concerned. I'm quite contented to wail for your return , • 
the more willingly t.'iat I know you are acting on the side of j-astice. But 1 

what would you have me do ?” „ . , i- ‘ 

“ Keep back the trial, Maje— only that. The rest will lie all right. ' | 

" How long? You know that it must come on according to tho usual [ 

process in the Criminal Court. The judge oi this circuit will not be ruled i 
by me, though he may yield a little to my advice. But there is^a party; 
who are crying out for vengeance ; and he may be ruled by them. ^ 

** I know the partv yo speak o'. I know their leader; au maybe, afore ^ 
the trial air over, he may bo the kriminal afore the bar.” \ 

“ Ah ! you do not believe, then, that these Mexicans are tho men ^ 

' Can’t tell. Male, whether they air or ain’t. I do b’lieve thet they’ve’ 


^an t vcli, AvlaJO, ^ Ilcllltrr iiic^ oil '^i * vav v • j ^ 

hed a hand in the bizness ; but 1 don’t b’lieve thet they’ve been the pnme; 
movers in’t. It’s him I want to diskiver. Kin ye promiae me three days ? 
“Three days! For what?” 

“ Afore the trial kirns on.” | 

“Oh I I think there will bo no difficulty about that. He is now a pri^ 
oner under military law. Even if the judge of the Supreme Court shoulo 
require him to be be delivered up inside that time, I can make objection. 





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210 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAy. 


I that will delay his being taken from the guard-house. I shall undertake 
to do that.” 

Majel ye’d make a man a’most contented to live under marshul law. 
No doubt thur air times when it air tho Ijest, tho’ we independent citizens 
don’t much like it. All I’ve got to say air, thet if ye stop this trial for tliree 
i days, or tharabout, preehaps the prisoner to kim afore the bar may bo 
Bomeb'y else than him who’s now in the guard-house — someb’y who jest at 
this mom’t hain’t the slightest suspishun o’ bein’ hisself surspected. Do’nt 
ask me who. Only say ye’ll streetch a pint, an’ gi’ me three days.” 

” I promise it, Mr. Stump. Though I may risk my commission as an of- 
1 ficer in the American army, I give you an ollicer’s promise, that for three 
days Maurice the Mustanger shall not go out of my guard-house. Inno- 
cent or guilty, lor that time he. shall be protected.” 

■ “ Yur the true grit, Majo ; an’ dog gone me, ef I don’t do my bcest to 

show ye some day, thet I’m sensible o’t. Tvo nuthin’ more to say now, 

' ’wptin’ to ax thet ye’ll not tell out o’ doors what I’ve been telliu’ you. 

I 'i'hur's them outside who, ef they only knew what this coon air arter, ’ud 
move both heveng an’ airth to circumwent his intenshuns.” 

■‘They’ll have no help from me — whoever it is you are speaking of, Mr. 
Stump, you may rely ujnm my pledged word.” 
i “ I kuow’t, Maje, i kuow’t. God bless ye for a good ’un. Yer the right 
I sort for Texas I” 

I With this complimentary leave-taking the hunter strode out of head- 
quarters, and made his way back to the place where ho had left his old 
; mare. 

Once more mount: jg her, ho rode rapidly away, 
i Having cleared the parade ground, and afterwards tho outskirts of the 
, village, he returned on tho same path that bad conducted him from Casa 
! Del Oorvo. 

On reaching the outskirts of Poi.. dexter’s plantation, he loft tho low 

I ' lands of the Ix-ona bottom, and spurred his old mare against the steep slope 
asamding to tho upper plain. 

He reached it, at a point where the chapparal impinged upon the prairie, 
and there reined up under tho shade of a mez(iuit tree. He did not alight, 

1 nor show any sign of an intention to do so ; but sat in the saddle, stooped for- 
I ward, his eyes turned upon the ground, in that vacant gaze which denotes 
j reflection. 

“ Dog gone my cats ?” he drawled out in slow soliloquy. “ Thet ere sar- 
I kimsiance are full o’ signiferkince. Calhoun’s hoss out the same night, an’ 

' fetched homo a’ sweetin’ all over. What ke^l that mean? Durn mo, ef I 
1 don’t sur8]>ect foul play hev kum from that (quarter. I’ve thort so all along ; 

I only it air so ridiklous to serposo thet he shed a killed his own cousin. 

, He’d do that, or any other villinous thing, ef there war a reezun for it. 
i There ain’t — none as I kin think o’. Ei the property hed been a goin’ to 
! the young un, then the thing mout a been intellygibly enuf. But it want. - 
Ole Peintdexter don’t own a acre o’ this hyur groun’ ; nor a nigger thet’s 
' upon it. Thet I’m sartin’ ’abcout They all belong to that cuss already ; 

' an’ why shed he want to get shet o’ the cousin T Thet’s whar this coon gets 
flummixed in his kalkerlations. Thar war’nt no ill will atween ’em. ah 


! 


i* 

K 



THB HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


sn 


ever I heerd o’. Thur’s a state o’ feelin’ twixt him an’ the gurl, thet he 
don’t like, I know. But why shod it temp him to the killin’ o’ her brother ? 

“ An’ then thur’s the mowstanger mix^ in wi’ it, an’ that shindy ’beout 
which she toll me herself ; an’ the sham Injuns, an’ tho Mexikin shemale 
wi’ tho har upon her lip; an’ the hossman ’ithout a head, an’ h — 1 knows 
what besides ! Oeesus Oeehosofat I it ’ud puzzle the brain pan o’ a Looey- 
villo lawyer! 

“ Wall — there’s no time to stan’ specklatin’ hyur. Wi’ this bit o’ iron 
toassiss mo, I may chance upon somethin’ thot’ll gie a clue to a part o’ the 
bl(K)dy bizness, ef not to tho hul o’ it ; an’ fust, as to the direeshun in 
which I shed steer ?” 

He looked round, as if in search of some one to answer the interrogatory. 

“ It air no use beginnin’ neer tho Fort or the town. The groan’ abeout 
l)oth on ’em air paddled wi’ hoss tracks like a cattle pen. I’d best strike 
out into the purayra at onst, an’ take a track crossways o’ the Rio Grando 
routo. By doin’ thet I may fluke on the futmark I’m in search o’. Yes— 
yo es thot’s the most sonsiblest idee.” 

As if fully satisfied on this score, he took up his bridle-rein, muttered some 
words to his mare, and commenced moving ofiT along the edge of the chap- 
paral. 

Having advanced about a milo in the direction of the Nueces river, he 
abruptly changed his course ; but with a coolness that told of a predeter- 
mined purpose. 

It was now nearly duo west, and at right angles to the difTerent trails go- 
ing towards the Rio Grando. 

There was a simultaneous change in his bearing — in tho expression of 
his features — and his attitude in the saddle. No longtT hwking listlessly 
around, ho sate stooping forward, his eye carefully scanning the sward, 
over a wide space on both sides of the path he was pursuing. 

Ho had ridden about a milo in the new direction, when something seen 
upon tho ground caused him to start, and simultaneously pull uix)n the 
bridle-rein. 

Nothing loth, the “ critter” came to a stand; Zeb, at the same time, fling- 
ing himself out of the saddle. 

Leaving tho old mare to ruminate upon this eccentric proceeding, he ad- 
vanced a pace or two, and dropped down upon his knees. 

Then drawing tho piece of curved iron out of his capacioua pocket, he ap- 
plied it to a hoof-print conspicuously outlined in the turf. 

It fitted. 

“ Fits 1” he exclaimed, with a triumphant gesticulation, " Dog-goned if it 
don’t I” 

"Tight as the skin o’ a tick I” he continued, after adjusting tho broken 
■hoe to the imperfect hoof-print, and taking it up again. " By th« eternal I 
that ere’s the track o’ a treetur — may hap a murderer /” 



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312 


THE HEADLESS HORSEUAIT. 


CHAPTER LXXIII. 

THE FRAIRIB ISLAND. 

A HEED of a hundred horses— or three times the number — pasturing upon 
a prairie, altliough a spectacle of the grandest kind furnished by the animal 
kingdom, is not one that would strike a Texan frontiersman as either strange 
or curious. He would think it stranger to see a single horse in the same 
situation. 

The former would simply bo followed by the reflection : " A drove of 
mustangs." The latter conducts to a different train of thought, in \yhich 
there is an ambiguity. The solitary steed might be one of two things : 
either an exiled stallion, kicked out of his own cAvallada, or a roadster strayed 
from some encampment of travellers. 

The practised eye of the prairie-man would soon decide which. 

If the horse browsed witli a bit in his moutli, and a saddle on his shoul- 
ders, there would be no ambiguity— only the conjecture, as to how he had 
escaped from his rider. 

If the rider were upon hie back, and the horse still browsing, there would 
be no room for conjecture — only the reflection, that the former must be a 
lazy thick-headed fellow, not to alight and let his animal graze in a more 
commodious fashion. 

If, however, the rider, instead of being suspected of having a thick head, 
was’seon to have no head at all, ihen would tliere be cue for a thousand 
conjectures, not one of which might come within a thousand miles of the 

^^^uch a horse, and just such a rider, were seen uiwn the prairies of South- 
Western Texas in the year of our Lord 185—. I am not certain a» to the 
exact year— the unit of it— though I can with unquestionable certainty re- 
cord the decade. , . . t * i i 

I can speak more' precisely as to the place ; though in th's I must be al- 
lowed latitude. A circumference of twenty miles will include the different 
points where the spectral apparition made itself manifest to the eyes of men 
—both on prairie and in chapparal— in a district of country traversed by sev- 
eral northern tributaries of the Rio de Nueces, and some southern branches 

of the Rio Leona. » 

It was seen not only by many people ; but at many diflTerent times, hirst, 

. by the searchers for Henry Poindexter and his supposed murderer ; second, 
by the servant of Maurice the mustanger ; thirdly, by Cassius Calhoun, on 
h^ midnight exploration of the chapparal ; fourthly, by the sliara Indians 
on/ that same night ; and, filthly, by Zob Stump, on the dight following. 

TJut there were otliers who saw it elsewhere and on different ocimsions— 
hunters, herdsmen, and travellers — all alike awed, alike perplexed, by tuo 

had become the talk not only of the Leona settlement, but of others 
more distant. Its fame already reached on one side to Uie Rio yradde. 
and on tlie other was rapidly extending to the Sabine. No one doubted 
that such a thing had been seen. To have done so would have been to 
ignore the evidence of two hundred pair of eyes, all belonging to men willing 
to make affidavit of the fact — for it could not be pronounced a fancy. No one 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


313 


denied that it had been seen. The only question was, how to account for 
a si)cctacle so peculiar, as to give the lie to all the known laws of creation. 

At least half a score of theories were started — more or less feasible — 
more or h ss absurd. Some called it an " Indian dodge others believed 
it a “ lay figure others that it was not that, but a real rider, only so dis- 
guised as to have his head under the serajai that shrouded his shoulders, 
with perhaps a pair of eye holes through which he could see to guide his 
horse ; while not a few pertinaciously adhered to the c njecture started 
at a very early period, that the Headless Horseman was LuciLr himself 1 

In addition to the direct attempts at interpreting the abnormal phenom- 
enon there was a crowd of indirect conjectures relating to it. Some fancied 
that they could see the head, or the shape of it down upon the breast, and 
under the blanket ; others affirmed to having actually seen it carried in the 
rider s hand , while others went still further, and alleged ; that upon the 
head thus seen there was a hat — a black-glaze sombrero of the Mexican sort 
with a band of gold bullion above the brim ! ’ 

There was still further speculation, that related less to the apparition it- 
self than to its connection with the other grand topic of the time— the mur- 
der of young Poindexter. 

Most people believed there was some connection between the two myste- 
ries; though no one could explain it. He, whom every body believed 
could have thrown some light upon the subject, was still ridden by the 
night mare of delirium. 

And for a whole week the guessing continued ; during which the spec- 
tral rider was repeatedly seen ; now going at a quick gallop, now moving 
in slow, tranquil pace, across the treeless prairie ; his horse at one time halt- 
ed and vaguely gazing around liim ; at another with teeth to the ground 
industriously cropping the sweei gramma grass, that makes the pasturage 
of South-Western Texas (in my opinion) the finest in the world 

Rejecting most of the tales told of the Headless Horseman— most of them 
too grotesque to be recorded— one truthful episcode must needs be given; 
since it forms an essential chapter of this strange history. 

* * * » * * * 

In the midst of tlio open prairie there is a " motte"— a coppice, or clump 
of trees— perhaps three or four acres in superficial extent. A p’rairie-mun 
would call it an “ island,” and with your eyes upon the vast verdant sea 
that surrounds it, you could not help being struck with the resemblance 

1 he aboriginal of America might not perceive it. It is a thought of the 
colonist transmitted to his descendants ; who, although they may never 
have Iwked upon «io great ocean, are nevertheless au fait to its phrascxilogv. 

By the timlier island in question— about two hundred yards from its 
wlge— a horse is quietly pasturing. He is the same that carries the head 
less rider ; and this weird equestrian is still bestriding him, with but litthi 
appearance of change, either in apparel or attitude, since first seen by ti e 
searchers. The striped blanket still hangs over his shoulders, cloaking 
the upper half of his person ; while the armas-de agua, strapped over his liml s 
cover them from thigh to spur, concealing all but their outline*. 

His body is bent a little forward, as if to ease the horse in iretting his 
snout to the sward; which the long bridle-rein, surrendered to its full 


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TIIR IIEADLEBB H0R8EUAN. 


length, oriables him to do, though Btill retained in hand, or restinir over the 
“ hern” of the saddle. 

Those who asserted that they saw a head, only told the truth. There is 
a head ; and, as also stated, with a hat upon it — a black sombrero, with bul- 
lion band as described 

The head rests against the left thigh, the chin being nearly down on a 
level with the rider’s knee. Being on the near side it enn only be seen, 
when the spectator is on the same ; and not always then, as it is at times 
concealed by a corner of the scrape. 

At times too can a glimpse be obtained of the face. Its features ore well 
formed, but wi aring a sad expression ; the lips of livid color slightly 
parted, showing a double row of white teeth, set in a grim ghastly smile. 

Though there is no perc<ii)tible change in the personnel of the llcadless 
Horseman there is something new to bo noted. Hitherto he has been seen 
going alone. Now ho is in company. 

It cannot be called agreeable ; — amsisting as it does of wolves — half a 
score of them squatting close by u]>on the plain, and at intervals loping 
around him. 

By the horse they are certainly not liked ; as is proved by the snorting 
and stamping of his hoofs, when one of them ventures upon a too close 
proximity to his heels. 

The rider seems more indifferent to a score of birds — largo dark birds — 
that swoop in shadowy circles around his shoulders. Even when one 
bolder than the rest has the audacity to alight upon him, he has made no 
attempt to disturb it, raising neither hand nor arm to drive it away I 

Three times one of the birds has alighted thus — first upon the right 
shoulder, then u|>on the left, and then midway between — upon the spot 
where the head should be I 

The bird does not stay upon its singular perch", or only for an instant. 
If the rider does not feel the indignity the steed does; and resists it by 
rearing upward, with a fierce neighing, that frights the vulture off— to re- 
turn again only after a short interval of shyness. 

His steed thus browsing, now in quiet, now disturbed Dy the too near ap- 

£ roach of the wolves — anon by tho bold behavior of the birds — goes the 
leadless Horseman, step by step, and with long pauses of pasturing, around 
the prarie island. 


CHAPTER LXXIV. 

A BOLITAKY STALKER. 

Tiie singular spectacle described — oxtraonlinary it might be termed— 
was too grave to appear grotesque. There was something about it that sa- 
vored of the outre-mende. Human eyes could not have beholden it, without 
the shivering of a human frame, and the chilling of human blood. 

Was it seen by human eyes in this fresh phase — with the wolves beloti( 
and the vultures above ? 

It waa, 




ril£ IIKADLESS HOKBEMAN. 


315 



11 


I ' 
1 
I 



By one pair ; and they belonging to the only man in all Tex.aa who had 
arrived at something like a comprehension of the all-perplexing mystery. 

It wa.s not altogether clear to him. There were poinis that si.ill puzzled 
him. He but knew it was neither a dummy, nor the Devil. 

His knowledge did not except him from the universal feeling of dread. 
Despite the understanding of what tho thing was, he shuddered as he 
gazed upon it. 

He gazed upon it from tho » shore” of the prairie-island ; himself un- 
seen under its shadows, and apparently endeavoring to remain so. 

And yet, with all his trembling and the desire to keep conce.-xled, ho waa 
following it round and round, on the circumference of an inner circle, as if 
some magnetic power was constraining him to keep on the same radius, of 
which tho point occupied by tho Headless Horseman was a prolongation I 
More thtm this. Ho had seen the latter before entering the island. Ho 
had seen him far off, and might easily have shunned him. But instead of 
doing so, he had immediately commenced making approach towards him! 

Ho had continued it — using tho timber as a screen, and acting as one 
who stalks the timid stag, with tho difference of a heart-dread which no 
deer-stalker could ever know. 

He had continued it ; until the shelter of the molts gave him a momentary 
respite, not from fear, but the apprehension of a failure. 

He had not ridden ten miles across the prairie without a design ; and it 
was this that caused him to go so cautiously — guiding his horse over the 
softest turf, and through the selvego of the chapparal — in such a way os 
neither to expose his person to view, nor cause a rustle among the branch- 
es, that might bo heard to the distance of ten yards. 

No one observing his manoeuvres os he moved amid tho timber island 
TOuld have misUken their meaning— at least so far as related to the object 
for which they were being made. 

His eye was ujwa the Headless Horseman, his whole soul absorbed in 
his own^ ‘lie movements of the latter— by which he appeared to regulate 

At first, fear seemed to be his prevailintr thought. After a time it was 
succeeded by an impatience that partially emboldened him. The latter 
plainly sprang from his perceiving, that the Headless Horseman, instead of 
approMhing the timber, still kept at a iegular distance of two hundred 
yards from its edge. 

'That this chafed him was evident from a string of soliloquies, muttered 
lialf aloud. They were not free from blasphemy ; but that was character- 
latic oi toe man who pronounced them. 

° infernal brute I If he’d only come twenty yards nearer I 
oould fetch him. My gun won’t carry that distance. I’d mlsj him for su'n* 
and then it H I'e all up. I may never get the chance again. Confound’ 
him I He s a 1 of twenty yards too far off.” As if the last were an ambi- 
guity rather thin a conviction, the speaker appeared to mea-sure with his 
eye the spaw that separated him from tho headless rider— all the while 

disclla^^ ^ cocked— ready for instant 

continued, after a process of silent computation. “ I 
■ught hit the beast with a spent ball, W only to scare without crippling 





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31G 


THS HEADLESS II0R8EUAN. 


him, I must have patience, and wait till he gets a little nearer. D — n 
them wolves I Ue might come in if it wasn’t for them. So long as they’re 
atx)ut him, he’ll give the limber a wide berth. It’s the nature of these 
Texan horses — devil skin them!” 

“ I wonder if coaxing would do any good ?” he proceeded after a pause. 
“ May bo the sound of a man's voice would bring the animal to a stand ? 
Doubtful. He’s not likely lo’ve heard much of that lately. I suppose it 
would only frighten him I The sight of my horse would be sure to do it, 
as it did before ; though that was in the moonlight. Besides he was chased, 
by the howling staghound. No wonder his being wild, then, ridden as he 

it by h — 1 knows what ; for it can’t bo Bah I After all, there must be 

some trick in it — ; some d — d infernal trick !” 

For a while the sjHjaker checked his horse with a tight rein, and, leaning 
forward, so as to get a good view through the trees, eontinued to scan the 
strange shape that was slowly skirting the timber. 

" It’s Aw horse— sure as shootin’i His saddle, serapt^, and all. How the 
h— 1 could they have come into the i)osses8ion of the other?” 

Another pause of reflection. 

” Trick, or no trick, it’s an ugly business. Whoever’s planned it, must 
know all that happened that night ; and by Q— d, if that thing lodged there 
I’ve got to get it back. What a fool ; to have bragged about it as I did I 
Curse the crooked luck I 

“ He tcon’i come nearer. He’s provoking shy of the timber. Like all 
his breed, he knows he’s safest in the open ground. 

" What’s to be done? See if 1 can C4ill him up. May be he may like to 
hear a human voice. If it’ll only fetch him twenty yards nearer. I’ll bo 
■atished. Hanged if I don’t try.’’ 

Drawing a little closer to the edge of the thicket, the speaker pronounc- 
ed that call usually employed by Texans to summon a straying horse. 

“ Proh — proh — proshow I C’onio kindly I come, old horse I” 

The invitation was extended to no purpose. 'I'lio Texan steed did not 
seem to understand it ; at all events, as an Invitation to friendly companion- 
ship. On the contrary, it had the effect of frightening him ; lor no sooner 
fell the "proh” upon his ear, that lett'ng go the mouthful of grass already 
gathered, he tossed his head aloft with a snort that proclaimed far greaUu- 
letir than that felt for either wolf or vulture I 

A mustang, ho knew that his greatest enemy was man — a man mount- 
ed upon a horse ; and by this lime his scent had disclosed to him the prox- 
imity of such a foe. 

He stayed not to see what sort of man, or what kind of horse. His first 
instinct had told him that both were enemies. 

A.s his rider by this time apjiearod to have arrived at the same conclusion, 
there was no tightening of the rein ; and he was left free to follow his own 
course — which carried him straight off over the prairie. 

A bitttir curse escaj)ed from the lips of the unsuccessful stalker as he 
spurred out into the o|H?n ground. 

Still more bitter was his oath, as ho beheld the Headless Horseman pass- 
ing rapidly beyond reach— unscathed by the bullet he had sent so earnestly 
afier him. 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 




CHAPTER LXXV. 

ON THE TRAIL. 

Zeb Stump stayed but a short while on the spot, where he had discov 
ered the hoof-print with the broken shoe. 

Six seconds sufficed for its identification ; after which he rose to his feet, 
an<I continued along the trail of the horse that had made it. 

He did not remount, but strode forward on foot ; the old mare obedient 
to a signal he had given her, keeping at a respectful distance behind him. 

For more than a mile ho moved on in this original fashion — now slowly, 
as the trail became indistinct — (juickening his pace where the print of the 
imperfect shoo could be seen witln-ut difficulty. 

Like an arch.Tologist engaged upon a tablet of hieroglyphic history, 
long entombed beneath the ruins of a lost metropolis — whose characters 
appear grotesque to all except himself — so was it with Zeb Stump, as he 
strode on, translating the “ sign” of the prairie. 

Absorbed in the act, and the conjectures that accompanied it, he had no 
eyes for aught else. Ho glanced neither to the green savannah that 
stretched inimitably around, nor to the blue sky that spread sfieclessly 
abovo him. Alone to the turf beneath his feet was his eye and attention 
directed. 

A sound — not a sight — startled him from his all-engrossing occupation. 
It was the report of a rifle ; but so distant, as to appear but the detonation 
of a purcussion-cap that had missed fire. 

Instinctively he stopped ; at the same time raising his eyes, but without 
unbending his body. 

With a quick glance the horizon was swept, along the half dozen points 
whence the sounds should have proceeded. 

A spot of bluish smoke — still pnserving its balloon shape'-was slowly 
rolling up against the sky. A dark blotch beneath indicated the outlines 
of an " island” of timber 

So distant was the “ mott.i,” the smoko, and the sound, that only the eye 
of an experienced prairie-man would have seen the first, or his ear heard 
the last, from the spot where Zvh Stump was standing. 

But Zeb saw the one and heard the other. 

" Durned queery !” he muttered, still stooped in the attitude of a garden- 
er dibbiug in his young cabbage-plants. 

" Dog goned qiieery, to say the leest on’t. Who in ole Nick’s name kin 
bo huntin’ out timr — whar timer ain’t game enuf to pay for the i>owder an’ 
shet? I’ve been to Ihet ere purayra island ; an I know there ain’t nothin’ 
thur cepin’^coyoats. What they get to live on, only the Etumal kin tell 1” 

“ Wagh !” he went on, after a short silence. “ Some 8torekoei>er from 
the town, out on a exkurshin, as he’d call It, who’s proud o’ poppin' .away 
at them stinkin’ varmints, an’ ’ll go hum wi’ a story he’s been a huntin 
toolves! Wal. ’Tain’t no bizness o’ myen. Let yurd-stick hev hie belly 
ful o’ sport. Heigh ! thur’s somethin’ cornin’ this way. A boss, an’ some 
body on his back— streaken it as if h— 1 war arter him, wi' a pitchfork o’ 
red-het lightnin’l What I As I live, it air headless I It is, by thuiuxus 
In’ Ueehoeophat I” 



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818 


THK IlKADLESS HORSEMAV. 


The observation of the old hunter was quite correct. There could be ne 
mistake about the character of the cavalier, who, just clearing himsell 
from the cloud of sulphureous smoke — now falling, dispersed over the 
prairie— came galloping on towards the spot where Zeb stood. It was the 
horseman without a head. 

Nor could there be any doubt as to the direction he was taking — as 
straight towards Zeb as if he already saw, and was determined on coming 
up with him ! 

A braver man than the backwoodsman could not have been found with- 
in the confines of Texas. Cougar, or jaguar — boar, buffalo, or red Indian 
— he could have encountered without quailing. Even a troop of Comanchea 
might have come charging on, without causing half the appronension felt 
at bight of that solitary equestrian. 

With all his experience of Nature in her most secret hauuts — despite the 
sJoicIsm derived from that exix.'rience — Zeb 8tump was not altogether free 
from sujicrstitious fancies. Who is? 

With the courage to scorn a liuman foe — any enemy that might show it- 
self in a natural shape, either of biped or quadruped — still was he not 
8tv:rn enough to defy the abnormal ; and Bayard himself would have quail- 
ed at sight of the cavalier who was advancing to the encounter apparent- 
ly determined upon its being deadly. 

Z.'b Stump not only quailed ; but, trembling in his tall boots of alliga- 
tor leather, sought concealment. 

lie did so, long before the Headless Horseman had got within hailing 
distance ; or, as h^e supposed, within sight of him. 

Some bushes growing close by gave him the chance of a hiding place; 
of which, with instinctive quickness, he availed himself. 

The mare, standing saddled by his side, might still have betrayed him? 

But, no. lie had not gone to his knees, without thinking of that. 

“ Hunker down 1” he cried, addre-ssing himself to his dumb companion, 
who, if wanting siH*ech, proved herself perfect in understanding, “ Squat, 
ye oie critter; or by tho Eturual ye'll be switched off into h — 1 !” 

As if dreading some such terrible catastrophe, the scraggy quadruped 
dropped down upon her fore knees ; and then, lowering her hind quarters, 
l.iid herself along the gra.s8, as though thinking her day’s work done— she 
was free to indulge in a siesta. ... 

Scarce had Zeb and his roadster composed themselves in their new posi- 
tion when the Headless Horseman came galloping up. 

Ho was going at full sjieed ; and Zob was but too well pleased to perceive 
that ho was likely to continue it. 

It was sheer chance that had conducted him that way ; and not from 
having seen either tho hunter or Ids sorry steed. 

The former— if not tho hitter— was satisfied at being treated in that rava- 
lier style ; but, long l>efore tho Headless Horseman had passed out of sight, 
Zt:b had taken’ his dimensions, and made himself acquainted with his char- 

Though he might be a mystery to all tho world beside, he was no longer 

»o to Zebulon Stump. ^ . j 

As lue horse shot past in fleet career, the skirt of the scrape, flouted by 
th« wind, displayed to Stump’s optics a form well known to him— in m 


TUE nSAOLESS HORBEMAK. 


819 

dress he had seen before. It was a blouse of blue cottonade, ’^ox-plaited 
over tho breast ; and though its vivid color was dashed wtth spots of gar- 
ish red, the hunter was able to recognize it. 

He was not so sure about the face seen low down upon the saddle, and 
resting against the rider’s leg. 

There was nothing strange in his inability to recognize it. 

The mother, who had oft looked fondly on that once fair countenano', 
would not have recognized it now. 

Zeb Stump only did so by deduction. The horse, the saddle, the holsters, 
the striped blanket, the sky-blue coat and trowsers — even tho hat upon the 
head — were all known to him. So, too, was the figure that stood almost 
upright in the stirrups. The head and face must belong to the same — not- 
withstanding their unaccountable displacement. 

Zeb saw it by no uncertain glance. He was permitted a full fair view of 
the ghastly spectacle. 

Tlie steed, though going at a gallop, passed within ten paces of him. 

He made no attempt to interrupt tho retreating rider — either by word or 
gesture. Only, as tho form became unmasked before his eyes, and its real 
meaning flasheil across his mind, ho muttered in a slow, sad tone ; 

“ Oee-hos-o-phat 1 It air true, then 1 Poor young feliur — dead dead !” 


CHAPTER LXXVI. 

LOST IN THE CII..VLK. 

Rttt.t. continuing bis fleet career, the Ih'adless Horseman galloped on 
over the prairie — Zeb Stump following only with his eyes; and not until 
he had passed out of sight, ^hind some straggling groves of mezquite.did 
the backwoodsman abandon his kneeling positioa. 

Then only for a second or two did ho stand erect — taking council with 
himself as to what course he shouhl ])ur8Uo. 

The ojHsode — strange ns unexix'Ctod — had caused some disarrangement 
in his ideas, and seemed to call for a change in his plans. Should he con- 
tinue along the trail he was already deciphering ; or forsake it for that of 
the steed that had just swept by ? 

By keeping to the former, he might find out much ; but by changing to 
the latter he might learn more ? 

He might capture the Headless Horseman, and ascertain from Aim the 
why and wherefore of his wild wanderings ? 

While thus absorbed, in considering what course ho had best take, he 
had fogdtten the puff of smoke, and the report heard far off over the 
prairie. 

Only for a moment, however. They were things to be remembered ; and 
he soon remembered them. 

Turning his eyes to the quarter where the smoke had appeared, he saw 
that which enu^ him to squat down again ; and place himself, with 
more impressement than ever, under cover of the mezquites. The old mare, 





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3‘20 


TUE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


relishinpf the rccunibont attitude, had still kept to it ; and there was no 
nece<J8ity for redisposing of her. 

What Zeb now saw was a man on horseback — a real horseman with a 
head upon his shoulders. 

lie was S' ill a long way off ; and it was not likely he had seen the tall 
form of the hunter, standing shored up among the busht* — much less the 
mare, lying beneath them. lie showed no signs of having done so. 

On the contrary, he was sitting stooped in the saddle, his breast bent 
down to the jwminel, and his eyes actively engaged in reading the ground 
over which ho was guiding his horse. 

There could be no dilliculty in ascertaining his occupation. 2Jeb Stump 
gue.ssed it at a glance. Ho was tracking the headless rider. 

“ He, ho!” muttered Zeb, on making this discovery; “ I ain’t the only one 
who’s got a reezen for solvin’ this hyur myst’ry I Who the h — 1 kin Ac be ? 
I shed jest like to know that.” 

Zeb had not long to wait for the gratification of his wish. As the trail 
was fresh, the strange horseman could take it up at a trot — in which pace 
he was approaching. 

He was soon within identifying distance^ 

“ Gee — hosophat !” muttered the backwoodsman ; " I mout a knowe’d it 
wud be him ; an’ ef I’m not mistook about it, hyurs goin’ to bo a other 
chapter out o’ the same book — a other link as'll help me to kumplete the 
chain o’ ovydince I’m in sarch for. Lay dost, ye critter! Ef ye make ere 
a stir— even to the sbakin’ o’ them long lugs o’ yourn — I’ll cut yur darned 
throat !” 

The last speech was an apostrophe to the “ maar” — after which Zeb wax- 
ed silent, with his head among the spray of the acacias, and his eyes peer- 
ing through the branches in acute scrutiny of him who was coming along. 

This was a man, who once seen, was not likely to be soon forgotten. 
Scarce thirty years old, he shewed a countenance, scathed, less with care 
than the play of evil passions. 

But there was care upon it now — a care that seemed to speak of appre- 
hension-keen, prolonged, yet looking forward with a hope of being re- 
relieved from it. 

Witlial it was a handsome face : such as a gentleman need not have 
been ashamed of, but for that sinister expression that told of its belonging 
to a blackguard. 

The dress but why need we describe it f The blue clfith frock of 

semi-military cut — the forage cap — the belt sustaining a bowie-knife, with a 
brace of revolving pistols — all have been menti.med before os enveloping 
and equipping the person of Captain Cassius Calhoun. 

It was he. 

It was not the baiierie of small arms that kept Zeb Stump from showing 
himself. He had no dread of an encounter with the ex officer of Volunteers. 
Though he instinctively felt hostility, ho liad as yet given no reason to the 
latter for regarding him ns an enemy. He remained in shadow, to have a 
better view of what was passing under the sunlight. 

Still closely scrutinizing the trail of the Headless Horseman, Calhoun 
trotted past. 

Still closely keeping among the acacias, Zeb Stump looked after, till the 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


321 


same grove, tiiat had concealed the former, iuterjxjsed its verdant veil bo 
tween him and the ex-caj)tain of cavalry. 

****** 

Tlie backwoodsman’s brain having become the recipient of now thoughts, 
rt*quired a fresh exercise of its ingenuity. “ 

If there was reason before for taking the trail of the Headless Horseman 
It was redoubled now. ’ 

With but short time spent in consideration, so Zeb concluded: and com- 
menced making preparations for a stalk after Cassius Calhoun 

IMieso consisted in taking hold of the bridle, and giving the old maro 
a kick ; that caused her to start instantaneously to her feet. 

Zeb stoixi by her side, intending to climb into the saddle and ride out in- 
to the open plain— as soon as C’alhoun should be out of sight. 

Ho had no thoughts of keeping the latter in view. Ho n^ed no such 
guidance. I he two fresh trails would bo sufficient for him ; and ho felt 
M sure of finding the direction in which IhrIi would lead, as if ho had rid- 
den alongside the hors, man without a head, or him without a heart. 

vVitli this confidence ho cleared out from among the acacias, and took the 
patlijust trodden by Calhoun. 


For once in his life. Zeb Stump had made a mistake. On rounding the 
nieziiuito grove, behind which both had made disapiiearance, he discovered 
lie had done so. 

Beyond, extended a tract of chalk prairie ; over which one of the horse- 
men apjieared to have passed — him without the head. 

Zeb guessed so, by seeing the other, at some distance before him, riding 
to and fro, in transverse stretches, like a pointer quartering the stubble in 
search of a partridge. 

Ho too had l(>Bt tlie trail, and was endeavoring to recover it 

Crouching under cover of the mezriuites, the hunter remained a silent 
spi’Ctator of his moveinents. 

'The attempt terminated in a failure. 'Fho chalk surface defied internro- 
tation— at least by skill such as that of Cassius Calhoun. 

After i^p-ated quarterings he appeared to surrender his design • and 

angrily plying spur, galhrped off in the direction of the Iveona ^ ' 

As swm as ho wa.s out of sight, Zeb also made an effort to Uke up the 
lost trail. But de.spito his superior attainments in the tracking craft Im 
was comjxjlled to relinquish it. " ’ 

A fervid sun was glaring down upon the chalk ; and only the eve of a 
salamander could bave withstorxl the reflection of its rays. '' 

Diwcd almost to blindness, t’le backwoodsman determined upon turning 
ate back ; and once more devoting his atteution to the trail from which ho 
liatl for n time seduced. 

Ho had learnt enough to know that this last promised a rich reward for 
its exploration. 

It took him but a short time to regain it. 

Nor did he lose any in following it up. He was too keenly impreMad 


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S22 


THE HEADLESS UOKSEMAN. 


witli its value ; and vi itli this idea urging him, he strode rapidly on, th« 
iiianf following as before. 

Once only did lie inako jiauso ; at a jioint where the tracks of two horses 
converged wiih that he was following. 

From this point the three coincided — at times parting and running paral- 
lel, for a score of yards or so, but again coming together and overlapping 
one another. 

The horses were all sho<l — like that which carried the broken shoe — and 
the hunter only slopped to see what ho could make out of the hoof marks. 

One was a " State.s horse the other a mustang — though a stallion of 
great size, and with a hoof almost as large as that of the American. 

Zeb bad his conjectures about both. 

Ho did not stay to inquire which had gone first over the ground. That 
was as clear to hir.i, as if ho had been a spectator at their passing. The 
stallion had been in the lead, — how far Zeb could not exactly tell ; but cer- 
tainly some distance beyond that of companionship. The States horse had 
followed ; and behind him, the roadster with the broken shoe — also an 
American. 

All three had gone over the same ground, at seperate times, and each 
by himself. This Z<'b Stump could tell with as much ease and certainty, 
as one might read tlie index of a dial, or thermometer. 

Whatever may have been in his thoughts, he said nothing, beyond giv- 
ing utterance to the simple exclamation “Good!” and, with satisfaction 
stamped upon his features, lie moved on, the old mare appearing to mock 
him by an imitative stride ! 

“ Hyur the’ve suppurated,” ho said, once again coming to a stop, and re- 
garding the ground at his feet. “ The stellyun an’ States boss hev goed 
thegither— thet air tho’ve tuk the same way. Broken shoo hev strayed 
in a diffrent direkshun.” 

“ Wonder now what thet’s for ?” he continued, after standing awhile to 
consider. “Durn mo of I iver seed scch [lerplexin’ sign! It ud puzzle ole 
Dan’l Boone hisself.” 

•‘Which on ’em shed I foller fust? Ef I go arter the two I know whar 
they’ll lead. They’re boun’ to kim up in thet puddle o’ blood. Let’s track 
up tother, and see whether he hev rud into the same procksimmuty! To 
the right abeout, ole gal, and keep dost ahint me — else ye may get lost in 
the chapparol, an’ tlie coyoats may make thur supper on yur tallow. He 1 
he I he 

With this apostrophe to his “ critter,” ending in a laugh at the conceit 
of her ” tallow,” the hunter turned off on the track of the third horse. 

It led him along the edge of an extended tract of chapparal ; which, fol- 
lowing all three, he had approached at a point well known to him, as to 
the reader,— where it was parted by the open space already described. 

The now train skirted the titnbor only for a short distance. Two hundred 
yards from the embouchure of the avenue, it ran into it ; and fifty paces 
further on Zeb came to a spot where the horse had stood tied to a tree. 

Zeb saw that the animal had proceeded no further ; for there was anoth- 
er set of tracks showing where it had returned to the prairie — though not 
by the same path 

The rider had gone beyond. The foot-marks of a man could be seen be- 


THE HEADLE.S8 HOK8EMAK. 


323 


yemd — in the mud of a half dry arroyo — beside which the horse had been 

“ hitched.” , , , , , . r 

Lsiavin''' his critter to occupy the “ stall ” where broken-shoe had for some 
time fretred himself, the old hunter glided off upon the footmarks of tho 


dismounted rider. • . 

He soon discovered two sets of them. — one going — another coming back. 

He followei! the farmor. 

Ho was not surprised at their bringing him out into tho avenue — close to 
tho iw)ol of blood— by the coyotes long since licked dry. 

* He might have traced them right up to it, but for tho hundreds of horso 
tracks that had Irodd. n tho ground like a shcei) pen. 

But before going so far, ho was stayed by the discovery of some fresh 
" sign” — too interesting to be carelessly examined. In a place where tho under 
wo<Mlgrew thick, he camo ui>on a spot where a mac had remained for some 
time. There was no turf, and tho loose mould was baked hard anti smooth, 
evidently by the sole of a boot or shoe. 

There were prints of tho same sole leading out towards tho place of 
bhasl, and similar ones coming back again. But upon tho branches of a 
tree between, Zeb Stump saw something that had escaped tho eyes not 
only of the searchers, but of their guide S{>angler — a scrap of paper, black- 
ened and half burnt— evidently the wadding of a discharged gunl 

It was clinging to tho twig of a locust-tree, impaled upon ono of its 
spines I j . , 

The old hunter took it from tho thorn to which, through ram and wind, 
it had adhered; spread it carefully across tho palm of hie horny hand; and 
read upon its smouched surfac*^ a name well known to him ; which, with its 
concomitant title, bore the initials, " (J, C.C.” 


CHAPTER LXXVII. 

ANOTHEU LINK. 

IT was less surprise, than gratification, that showed itself on tho connto- 
nance of Zeb Stump, as he deciphered the writing on the paper. 

“ That ero’s the backin’ o’ a letter,” muttered he. “ Tells a goodish grist 
o’ story ; more’n war wrote inside, I reck’n. Been used for tho ^wad o’ a 
gun 1 Wal ; sarves the cuss right, for rammin down a rifle ball wi’ a imtch- 
in’ o’ scurvy paper, i’stead o’ the proper an’ bessest thing, which air a bit o’ 
greased buckskin." 

'• The writin’ air in a sheemale hand,” he continued, looking anew at the 
pii-ce of paper. Don’t signerfy for thet. It’s been sent to Aim all the same ; 
an’ he’s hed it in purzeshun. It air somethin’ to be tuk care o’.” 

So saying, he drew out a small skin wallet, which contained his tinder 
of “ punk,” along with his flint and steel ; and. after carefully stowing 
away the scrap of paper, he returned the sack to his pocket. 

“’Wal,” he went on in soliloquy, as he stood silently considering, " I kal- 
kerlate m how this ole coon’ll be’ablo to unwind a gixjd grist o’ this clue o’ 
mystery, tho’ thur be a bit o’ the thread broken hyur an’ thur, an’ a bit o’ 


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324 


TUB IIKADLESa HOUSEMAN. 


a puzzlo I can’t clearly undcrstnn'. The man wlio hev l)cen murdered, wlio- 
Bomdiver ho may be, war out tliur by thet puddle o’ blood, an’ the man na 
did the deed, whosonidiver he be, war a stannin bchint this locu.st-tree. But 
for ihem greenhorns, I mout a got more out o’ tlie s'gn. Now thur ain’t the 
ghost o’ a chance. They’ve tramped the hul place into a durnationed mess, 
cuvortin’ and caperin’ abeout.” 

’• Wal, ’tair no use goin’ furrcr thet way. The bessest thing now air to 
take the back track, if it air possable, an’ diskiver whar the boss wi’ the 
broke shoe toted his rider arter he went back from this leetle bit o’ still- 
buntin’. Tliurfor, ole Zeb'lon Stump, back ye go on the b(X)t tracks !” 

With this grotesque apostrophe to himself, he commenced retracing the 
footmarks that had guided him to the edge of the opening. Only in one or 
two places were the footprints at all distinct. But Zob scarse cared for 
their guidance. 

Having already noted that the man who made them had returned to tho 
place where the horse had been left, ho knew tho back track would lead 
him there. There was one place, however, where the two trails did not go 
over tlio f ame ground. There was a forking in the open list, through 
which tho 6 Ui)i) 08 od murderer had made his way. It was caused by an 
obstruction, A patch of impenetrable thicket. They met again, but not 
till that on which the hunter was returning straggled off into an oi)en glade 
of considerable size. 

Having become satisfied of this, Zob looked around into tho glade — for a 
time forsaking tho footsteps of tho i)edt strian. 

After a short examination, he observed a trail altogether distinct, and oi 
8, different character. It was a well-marked path e .tering the opening on 
t>ne side, and going out on the other : in short, a cattle-track. 

Tiob saw that several shod horses had passed along it, some days before: 
and it was this that caused him to come back and examine it. 

lie could tell to a day — to an hour — when the horses had passed; and 
'fom the siLrn itself. But the exercise of hie ingenuity was not needed on 
this occasirm. He knew that tho hoof-prinls were those of the horses rid- 
den by Spangler and his party — after being detached from the main body 
of searchers who had gone home with the ma'or. 

He had heard tho wliole story of that collateral investigation — how Spang- 
ler and his comrades had traced Henry Poindexter’s horse to the place 
where the negro had caught it — on the outskirts of the plantation. 

To an ordinary intellect this might have appeared satisfactory. Nothing 
more could be learnt by any one going over the ground again. 

2eb Stump did not seem to think so. As ho stood looking along it, hW 
attitude showed indecision. 

“ [f I ked make shur o’ havin’ time,” he muttered, “ I’d follor it fust. 
Just *'.8 like as not I’ll find a fluke thur too. But thur’s no sartinty ’beout 
tho time, an’ I’d bettor purceed to settle wi’ the anyraal as cast the quarter 
shr/o.” 

He had tamed to go out of the glade, when a thought once more stayed 
him. 

” Arter all, it kin be eezy foun’ at any time. I kin ^ess whar It’ll lead, 
as sartint, os if I’d rud ’longside the skunk thet made it — straight eostrat 
to the stable o’ Caser Corver. 


THE HEADLESS HOUSEMAN. 


32t 


It • a dumod pity to drop this un, — now whiles I’m huyr upon the 
spot. ^It 11 gio me tho m.akin’ o’ another ten-mile journey, and thur 
moutn’t be time. Doggoned ef I don’t try a leetle way along it. The olo 
maar kin wait till I kum back.” ^ 

Bracing himself for a new investigation, ho started off upon the cattle- 
track, trodden l>j tlio liorses of Spangler and bis party. 

To the hoof-marks of these he paid but slight attention ; at times, none 
whatever. His eye only sought those of Henry Poindexter’s horse. Though 
tho others were of an after time, and often destroyed the traces he was 
most anxious to examine, ho had no dilDculty in identifying the latter. As 
he would have himself said, any gr. enhorn could do that. The young 
planter’s horse had gone over the ground at a gallop. Tho trackers had 
ridden slowly. 

As far as Zeb Stump could perceive, the latter had made neither halt nor 
deviation. The former Lad. 

It was about three-quarters of a mile from the edge of the avenue. 

It was not a halt the galloping horse had made, but only a slight depar- 
ture from his direct course ; as if something he had seen— wolf, mguar or 
other beast of prey— had caused him to shy. ’ 

Beyond he had continued his career ; rapid and reckless as ever. 

Beyond the party along with Spangler had proceeded — without staying 
to inquire why tho horse had shied from his track. 

Zeb Stump was more inquisitive, and paused upon this spot 
It was a sterile tract, without herbage, and covered with shingle and sand 
A huge tree overshadowed it, with limbs extending horizontally. One of 
these ran transversely to the paih over which tho horses had passtnl— so 
low that a horseman, to shun contact with it, would have to lower his 
head. At this branch Zeb Stump sto<xl gazing. Ho observed an abrasion 
ui»n the bark ; that, though very slight, must have been caused by contact 
With Bome substance, as hard, if not sounder, than itself. 

" Thet’s been done by the skull o’ a human critter,” reasoned he " a hu- 

man critter, thet must a been on tho back o’ a boss — this side the branch 

an oil on the t other. No livin' man ked a stud scch a cullizyun as thet’ 
an’ kep his seat i’ tho seddle.” / « «« i-uei,, 

” Hooraw !” he triumphantly exclaimed, after a cursory examination of 
the ground underneath the tree. » I thort so. Thur’s the impreshun o’ the 
tlirowed nder. An thur s whar he hez creeped away. Now I’ve got on 
explication o’ that big bump as hez been puzzlin’ me. I know’d it wan’t 
did by the claws o’ any varmint : an’ it did’nt look like the blow eyther o’ 
a stone or a stick. That ore’s the stick that hez gi'n it.” 

With an elastic s-ep— his countenance radiant of triumph— the old hun- 
ter strode away from the tree, no long, r uiwn the cattle path, but that tak- 
en by the man who had been so violently dismounted 
■To one unaccustomed to the chapparal, he might have appeared going 
without a guide, and upon a path never before pressed by hui^ foot 
A portion of it perhaps had not. But Zeb was conducted by signs which 
o^ure to theordinary eye were to him intelligent as the painteJ lettering 
upon a finger-post The branch contorted to afford passage for a humaS 
form— the displaced tendrils ot a creeping plant— tho s<^hed suriaoe of 




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336 


TUB HBAULKSS HOUSEMAN. 


the earth — all told that a man had passed that way. The sign signified 
more — that the man was disabled — had been crawling — a cripple ! 

Zeb Stump continued on, till he had traced this cripple to the banks of a 
running stream. 

It was not necessary for him to go further. He had made one more 
splice of the brokeh thread. Another, and hia clue would be complete 1 


CHAPTER LXXVIII. 

A nORSB-BWOP. 

Wrm an oath, a sullen look, and a brow black ns disappointment could 
make it, Calhoun turned away from the edge of the chalk prairie, wliere h« 
had lost the traces of the Headless Horseman. 

“ No use following further 1 No knowing where he’s gone now 1 No 
hope of finding him except by a jiuke ! If I go back to the creek I might 
see him again ; but unless I get within range, it’ll end ns it’s done before. 
The mustang stallion won’t let mo come near him — as if the brute knows 
what I’m wanting ! 

“ He’s even cunninger than the wild sort — trained to it, I suppose, by 
the mustanger himself. One fair shot — If I could only get that. I’d settle 
his courses 

“ There appears no chance of stealing upon him ; and as to riding him 
down, it can’t bo done with a slow mule like this. 

“ Too sorrel’s not much betU*r, though ho beats this brute in bottom. HI 
try him tomorrow, with the new shoo.” 

“ If I could only get hold of somothing that’s fast enough to overtake ths 
mustang ! I’d put down handsomely for a horse that could do it.” 

" There must bo one of the sort in the settlement. I’ll see when I get 
back. If there bo, a couple ot hundred, aye or three, won’t hinder mo from 
having him.’’ 

After he had made these mutterings Calhoun rode away from the chalk 
prairie, his dark countenance strangely contrasting with its snowy sheen. 
He went at a rapid rate ; — as could be seen by his sweating coat, and the 
clots of half-coagulated blood, where the spur had been freely plied up<)n 
his flanks. Fresh drops soon appeared as ho cantered somewhat heavily 
on — his head set for the hacienda of Casa del Corvo. 

In less than an hour after, his rider was guiding him among the mezquitea 
that skirted the plantation. 

It was a path known to Calhoun. He had ridden over it before, though 
not upon the same horse. On crossing the bed of an arroyo — dry from a 
long continuance of drought — he was startled at beholding in the mud the 
trp.ck8 of another horse. One of them showed a broken shoe, an old hoof- 
print. nearly eight days old. He made no examination to ascertain the time. 
He knew it to an hour. 

He bent over it, with a different thought — a feeling of surpriM commin- 
gled with a touch of supersition. The track looked recent, as if made on 
the day before. There had been wind, rain, thunder, and lightning. Not 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


327 


one of these had wasted it. Even the angry elements appeared to hav« 
passed over without destroying it— as if to spare it for a testimony against 
the outraged laws of Nature — their God. 

Calhoun dismounted, with the -design to obliterate the track of thothreo- 
quarter shoe. Better for liim to have spared himself the pains. The crease 
of his boot-heel crushing in the stiff mud was only an additional evidence 
as to who had ridden the broken-shoed horse. There was one coming 
close behind capable of collecting it. ** 

Once more in his saddle, the ex-officer rode on — reflecting on his own as- 
tuteness. 

His reflections had scarce reached the point of reverie, when the hoof- 
stroke of a horse not his own came suddenly within hearing. Not 
within sight ; for the animal making them was still ten-ened by the chap- 
paral. 

1 lainly was it approac iing ; and, although at slow pace, the measured 
tread told of its being gaided, and not straying. It was a horse with e 
rider upon his back. 

In another instant both were in view; and Calhoun saw before him Isa- 
dora^Covarubio de los Llanos ; she at the same instant catching sight of 

It was a strange circumstance that these two should thus encounter one 
another— ai)parently by chance, though perhaps controlled by destiny, 
btranger still the thought summoned up in the bo.soms of both. 

In Calhoun, Isidora saw the man who loved the'^man she herself hated 
In Isidora, Calhoun saw the woman who loved hilfi he both hated and had 
determined to destroy. 

This mutual knowledge they had derived partly from report, partly from 
observation, and partly from the suspicious circumstances under which 
more than once they had met. They were equally convinced of its truth 
^acli felt certain of the sinister entanglement of the other ; while both bo- 
lieved their own to be unsuspi'Cted. 

The situation was not calculated to create a friendly feeling between 
them. It IS not natural that man, or woman, should like the admirer of a 
rival They can only be friends at that point where jealousy prompts to 
the deadliest vengeance •. and then it is but a sinister sympathy. 

As yet no sucii had arisen between Cassius Calhoun and Isidora Cova- 
ruDio de los Llanos. 

If It had Iwen possible, both might have been willing to avoid the en- 
counter. Isidora certainly was. 

'J? predilection for the ex-officer of dragoons; and besides the 
knowledge that he was the lover of her rival, there was another thought 
that now rendered his presence, if not disagreeable, at least not desirable. 

She remembered the chase of the sham Indians, and its ending. She 
knew that among the Texans there had been much conjecture as to her 
abrupt dmppearance, after appealing to them for protection 

She had her own motive for that, which she did not intend to declare; 
“bj^r nieetmg her might be inclined to ask questions on the 

ti.fn p^ed with a single salutation-she could not give lees 

than that. And perhaps he might have done the same ; but for a thought 


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328 


THE HEADLESS HORhKMAN. 


which at that moment came into hie mind, entirely unconnected with the 
reflections already there engendt red. 

It was not the lady herself who sunffresled the thoug'.it. Despite her 
sphmdid beauty, he had no :i(imiration lor her. In his breast, ruthless as it 
minht have been, there 'A as no space left for a second passion — not even 
a Sensual one — for her thus encountered in the solitude of the chnpparnl 
with Nature whispering wild, wicked suggestions. 

It was no idea of this that caused him to rein up in the middle of the 
path ; remove the cap from his crown ; and by a courtly salutation, invitn 
a dialogue with Isidore. 

So challenged, she could not avoid the conversation ; that commenced 
on the instant — Calhoun taking the initiative. 

" Excuse me, senorita,” said he, his glance directed more upon her sh ed 
than herself ; “ I know it’s very rude thus to interrupt your riile ; esix'cially 
on the part of a stranger, as with sorrow I am compelled to call myself.” 

*' It needs no apology, seuor. If I'm not mistaken, wo have met before 
upon the prairie, out near the Nueces.” 

"True! true !’’ stammered Calhoun, not caring to dwell upon the re- 
membrance. " It was not of that encounter I v ished to speak ; but what 
I saw afterwards, as you came galloping ah ng the cliff. We all wondered 
what had become of you.” 

“ There was not much for wonder, cavallero. The shot which some of 
your people fired from below, disembarrassed me of my pursuers. I saw 
that they had turned back, and simj'ly continued my journey.” 

Calhoun exhibited no chagrin at being thus baflled. The theme upon 
which he designed to direct his discourse had not yet turned up; and in it 
he might be more successful. 

What it was might have been divined from his glance— half eonnoiueur, 
half horse-jockey — still directed towards the steed of Isidora. 

” I do not say, senorita, that I wa.'< one of those who wondered at your 
sudden disappearance. I presume y .m had your own reasons for not com- 
ing on ; and, seeing you ride as you did, I felt no fear for your safety. It 
was your riding that aston'shed me, as it did all of my companions. Such a 
horse you had I He appeared to glide, rather than gallop I If I mistake 
not, it’s the same you are now astride of. Am I right, senora? Pardon me 

for asking such an insignificant question.” 

'• The same? I^et me see ? I make use of so many. I think I was riding 
this liorse upon that day. Yes, yes ; I am sure of it. I remember how the 
brute bt'trayed me.” 

*’ Betrayed you I How ?” 

Twice he did it. Once as you and your people were approaching. The 
second time when the Indians — ay ! Di»s ! not Indians, as I’ve since hear^— 
were coming through the chapparal.” 

” But how ?” 

“By neighing. He should not have done it. He's had training enough 
to know better than that. No matter. Once I get him back to the Rio 
Orando he shall stay there. I shan’t ride him again. He shall return to 

his pastures.” , 

“ Pardon me, senorita, for speaking to you on suah a subject ; but I aan t 
help thinking that it’s a pity.” 


THE HEADLESS HOKSEMAK. 


329 


” What’s a pity ?” 

“ That a stctHl so splendid as that should be so lightly discarded. I would 
give much to po.ssess him.’’ 

" You are ji'sting, cavallero. Ho is nothing beyond the common ; ]X'rhap8 
a little jiretly, aud quick in his paces. My father has five thousand of his 
sort — many of them prettier, and, no doubt, some faster than he. He’s a 
good roadster ; aud that’s why I'm riding him now. If it weren't that I’m 
on my way homo to the Uio (Irande, aud the journey is still beforo me, you’d 
be welcome to have him, or anybody else who cared for him, as you seem 
to do. Bo still, mustetio mio ! You see there’s somebody likes you better 
than I do.” 

The last speech was addrest-ed to the mustang, who, like its rider, appear- 
ed impatient for the conversation to come to a close. 

Calhoun, however, seemetl equally desirous of prolonging, or, at all events, 
bringing it to a different termination. 

“ Excuse me, senorita,” said he, assuming an air of business-like earnest- 
ness, at the same time speaking apologetically ; “ if that be all the value 
you set ui>on the grey mustang, I should bo only too glad to make an ex- 
change v.’ith you. My horse, if not handsome, is estimated by our Texan 
dealers as a valuable animal. Though somewhat slow in his paces, I can 
promise that he will carry you safely to your home, and will servo you well 
afterwards.” 

“ What, sonor !” exclaimed the lady, in evident astonishment, “ exchange 
your grand American yWj«o/i for a Mexican Mustang! The offer is too gen- 
erous to apimar other than a jest. You know that on the Rio Orando ono 
of your horses equals in value at least three, sometimes six of ours?” 

Calhoun knew this well enough ; but he also knew that the mustang 
ridden by Isidora would bo to him worth a whole stabloful of such brute* 
as that ho was bestriding. Ho had been an eye-witness to its sjxsed, besides 
having heard of it from others. It was the thing ho stood in need of — the 
very thing. Ho would have given, not only his” grand frison" in exchange, 
bjt the full price of the mustang by way of “boot.” 

Fortuiiali-ly for him, there was no attempt at extortion. In the composi- 
tion of the Mexican maideu, however much sho might l>e given to eques- 
trian tast.is. there was not much of the “coper.” With five thousand horses 
in the jiaiorual stables, or rather straying over the patrimonial plains, there 
w^ but slig.il motive for sharp practice; and why should she deny such 
trifling gratification, even though the man seeking it was a stranger — per- 
haps an enemy ?” 

She did not. 

” If you are iu earnest, senor,” was her response, “you are welcome to 
what you want.” 

“ Take him, then 1” said she, leaping out of her saddle, and commencing 
to undo tile girths. “We cannot exchange saddles: yours would be a 
mile too big for me !” 

C^houn was too happy to find words for a rejoinder. He hastened to as- 
sist her In removing the saddle ; after which he took off his own. 

^ less than five minutes the horses were exchanged— the saddles and 
hndles being retained by their respective owners. 


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330 


THE HEADLESS HOBSEMA^T. 


To Isidora there was Homothinff ludicrous in the transference. She al 
most laughed wldlo it was being carried on. 

Calhoun looked upon it in a different liijht. There was a purpose pres- 
ent before his mind — one of the utmost importance. 

They parted without much further speech — only the usual greetings of 
adieu — Isidora going off on the friton ! while the ex-officer, mounted on the 
grey mustang, continued his course in the direction of Casa del Cervo. 


CHAPTER LXXIX. 

AN UNTiniNO TBACEEH. 

Zed was not long in arriving at the spot where he had " hitched” his mare. 
The topography of the chaparral was familiar to him ; and he crossed it 
by a less circuitous route than that taken by the cripple. 

Ue once more threw himself upon the trail of the broken shoe, in full be- 
lief that it would fetch out not a hundred miles from Casa del Corvo. 

It led him along a road running almost direct from one of the crossings 
of the Rio Grande to Fort Inge. The road was a half-mile in width — a 
thing not uncommon to Texas, where every traveller selects his own path, 
alone looking to the general direction. ^ 

Along one edge of it had gone the horse with the damaged shoe. 

Not all the way to Fort Inge. When within four or five miles of the 
post, the trail struck off from the road, at an angle of just such degree as fol- 
lowed in a straight lino would bring out by Poindexter’s plantation. So 
confident was Zeb of this, that he scarce deigned to keep his eye upon the 
ground ; but rode forwards, as if a finger post was constantly by his side. 

He had long before given up following the trail afoot. Despite his pro- 
fessed contempt for “ horse fixings” — as ho called riding— ho had no objec- 
tion to finish his journey in the saddle — fashed as ho now was with the fa- 
tigue of protracted trailing over prairie and through chapparal. Now 
and then only did ho cast a glance uixm the ground — lees to assure himself 
he was on the track of the broken shoo, than to notice whether something 
else might not be learnt from the sign, besides its mere direction. 

There were stretches of the prairie whore the turf, hard and dry, had 
taken no impression. An ordinary traveller might have supposed himself 
the first to pass over the ground. But Zeb Stump was not of this class ; 
and although he could not always distinguish the hoof marks, be knew 
within an inch where they would again become visible — on the more moist 
and softer patches of the prairie. 

If at any place conjecture misled him, it was only for a short distance, 
and he soon comseted himself by a traverse. 

In this half-careless, half-cautious way, ho had approached within a mile 
of Poindexter’s plantation. Over the tops of the mezquite trees the 
crenelled parapet was in sight ; when something he saw u^n the ground 
caused a sudden cleinge in his demeanour. A change, too, in his attitude^ 
for instead of remaining on the back of hie mare, he flung himself out of 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


331 


the saddle ; threw the bridle upon her neck ; and, rapidly passing in front 
of her, commenced taking up the trail afoot. 

The mare made no stop, but continued on after him — with an air of re- 
signation, ns though she was used to such eccentricities. 

To an inexperienced eye there was nothing to account for this sudden 
dismounting. It occurred at a place where the turf appeared untrodden by 
man, or beast. Alone might it be inferred from Zeb’s speech, as he flung 
himself out of the saddle : 

" His track ! goin’ to hum !” were the words muttered in a slow, 
measured tone ; after which, at a slower pace, the dismounted hunter kept 
on along the trail. 

In a little time after it conducted him into the chapparal ; and in less to 
a stop— sudden, as if the thorny thicket had been transformed into a 
ehevaux-dc frize, impenetrable both to him and his “ critter.” 

It was not this. The path was still open before him — more open than 
ever. It was it’s openness that had furnished him with a cause for dis- 
continuing his advance. 

The path sloped down into a valley below — a depression in the prairie, 
along the concavity of which, at times, ran a tiny stream — an arroyo. It 
'vas now dry, only occupied by stagnant pools, at long distances apart. 
« the mud-covered channel was a man, with a horse close behind him — 
tiiC latter led by the bridle. 

There was nothing remarkable in the behaviour of the horse ; he was 
simply following the lead of his dismounted rider. 

But the man — what was he doing ? In his movements there was some- 
thing |>eculiar — something that would have puzzled an uninitiated spec- 
tator. 

It did not puzzle Zeb Stump ; or but for a second of time. 

Almost the instant his eye fell upon it, he read the meanine^ of tho 
manoeuvre, and mutteringly pronounced it to himself. 

“ Oblitturatin’ the print o’ the broken shoo, or tryin’ to do thet same! 
‘Taint no use. Mister Cash Calhoun — no matter o’ use. Ye’ve made yur 
fut marks too deep to deceive me ; an’ by the Eturnal I’ll follor them, 
though they shed conduck me into the fires o’ h — 11 1” 

As the backwoodsman terminated his blasphemous apostrophe, the man 
to whom it jwinted, having finished his task of obscuration, once more 
leaped into his saddle, and hurried on. 

On foot the tracker followed ; though without showing any anxiety 
about keeping him in sight. 

There was no need for that. The sleuth hound on a fresh slot could not 
be more sure of again viewing his victim, than was Zeb Stump of coming 
up with his. No chicanery of the chapparal — no twistings or doublings— 
could save Calhoun now. 

’fhe tracker advanced freely ; not expecting to make halt again, till hi 
should come within sight of Casa del Corvo. 

Little blame to him that his reckoning proved wrong. Who could have 
foretold such an interruption ns that occasioned by the encounter between 
Cassius Calhoun and Isidora Covarubio de los Llanos? 

Though at sight of it, taken by surprise — perhaps something more — Zel 
did not allow his feeling* to betray his presence near the 8]X)t. 


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332 


THE HEADLESS HOK8EMAN. 


w peomed to Btimalato hitii to incn ascd caution. 

1 timing noislessly round, he wliisperod eoine cahlistic words into the 
j'urs of his “ critter j ’ and then stole silently forward under cover of the 
acacias. 

Witliout reraonstanco, or remark, tlie mare followed. 

Ho soon came to a full stop — his ar imal doing the same, In Imitation so 
cJosis as to appear its counterpart. 

A thick growth of mozqaito trees seperated him from the two individuals 
by this time engaged in a lively interchange of speech. 

I lie could not see them, without exposing himself to the danger of being 
detected in his eaves-dropping ; but he heard what they said all the 
•same. 

He kept his place — listening till the horse trade was concluded, and for 
some limo after. 

Only when they had sejiarated, and taken departure did he venture to 
•>come forth from under cover. 

Standing upon the sjwt lately occupied by the "swoppers,” and looking 
“ both ways at once,” ho exclaimed — 

“ Qeehosophat ! thur’s a a)inpack atween a he kol she devil; an’ dum’d 
of I kin tell, which hez got the bessest o’ the bargin’ 1” 


: CHAPTER LXXX, 

A DOOnWAY tV'ELL WATCHED. 

[T was some time before Zeb Stump sallied forth from the covert where he 
had b(;eu witness to the “horse swo]>.” Not till Imth the bargainers had 
fridden entirely out of sight. Then ho went not after either ; but stayed 
upon the 1 - 1 ) 01 , as if undecided which he should follow. 

I It wa.s not exactly this that kept him to the place; but the necessity of 
i taking what he was in the habit of calling a “ good think.” 

His thoughts wore about the exchange of the horses : for he had heard 
j the whole dialogue relating thereto, and the proposal coming from Calhoun, 
j It was this that puzzled, or rather gave him reason for reflection. What 
f could be the motive? 

' Zeb knew to bo true what the Mexican had said : that the States horse 
: was, in market value, worth far more than the mustang. He knew, more- 
over, that Cassius Calhoun was the last man to bo “coped” in a horse 
trade. Why, then, had he done tko “deal ?” 

The old hunter pulled off his felt hat ; gave his hand a twist or two 
j through his unkempt hair ; transferred the caress to the grizzled beard 
* upon his chin — all the while g.azing upon the ground, as if the answer to 
‘ his mental interrogatory was to spring out of the gross, 
j "Thur air but one exi>licntion o’t,” he at length muttentd : “the grey’s 

■ the faster critter o’ the two — ne’er a doubt ’beout thet ; an’ Mister Cash 

■ wan’s him for his fastness : else why the durnaiion shed he a gin a hoss — 
J thet ’ud sell for four o’ his sort in any part o’ Texas, an’ twicet thet number 

J in Mexiko? I rock’n he’s bargained for the heels. Wliy? Durn me, ef 


THE HEADLESS U0R8EMAK. 


I don t suspect why. He wants— he — heigh — I hov it -somethin’ as k 
kum up wi’ the Ileadlresl 

" Thet’s the very thing he’s arter-aure as my name’s Zeb’lon Stum 
^ ^ States hoss an’ foun’ him slow. Thet much I knowd m 

self. Now ho thinks, wi’ the mowstang, he may hev a chance to overhai 
tho tother, ef he kin only find him agin ; an’ for sartin he’ll go in sarch < 

He s rud on now to Casser Corver — raaylKi to git a pick o’ somethin’ t 
eat. He won t stay thur long. ’Fore many hours hev passed, someboil 
see him out hyur on the purayra ; an’ thet somebody air boun’ to b' 
Zeb Ion Slump. 

‘ Come, ye critter 1” he continued, turning to tho mare, “ye thort y< 
wur a goin’ hum, did ye ? Yur mistaken ’beout that. Ye’ve got to squa 
hyur for another hour or two— if not the hul o’ tho night. Never mind 
ole gurl I The grass don’t look so bad ; an’ ye shell hev a chance to gil 
yur snout to it. Thur now — eet your durned gut-full 1” 

v\ hilo pronouncing this apiostrophe, he drew he head stall over the ears 
ol his mare ; and, chucking tho bridle across the projecting tree of the 
saddle, permitted her to graze at will. 

Ilaving secured her in tho chapparal where he had halted, he walked on 
— along the track taken by Calhoun. 

Two hundred yards farther on, and the jungle terminated. Beyond 
stretched an open jilaiu; and on its opposite side could bo seen tho baemnda 
of Casa del Corvo. 

The figure of a horseman could be distinguished against its whitewashed 
laMdo-— in another moment lost within tho dark uutliuo of tho entrance 
Zeb knew who went in. 

“ From this place,” he muttered, “ I kin see him kum out; an’ durn me, 
ef I don t watch till he do kum out— ef it shed bo till this time o’ the 
morrow, bo hyur goes for a spoil o’ patience.” 

lie first lowered himself to his knees. Then, "squirming” round till his 
back came in contact with tho trunk of a honey locust, he arranged him- 
self into a sitting posture. This done, he drew from his capacious iwcket 
a wallet, containing a “pone” of corn-bread, a large “ hunk ” of fried 
gahda”’’^^’ ^ liquor, whose perfume proclaimed it “Monon- 

Having eaten al)out half the bread, and a like quantity of the meat he 
returned the remaining moieties to the wallet; which lie suspended ovlr 
head upon a branch Then taking a satisfactory swig fronuKdsCv 
Igniting his ]upe, he leant back against the locust— with arm* 
folded over his breast, and eyes bent upon the gateway of Caw del CoJ^o 
^ In this way ho kept watch for a i^eriod of full two houiN ^eVer 

un'Jc^n by'him.“ to out 

Forms came out, and went in — several of them j -r. 

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THS BEADL£:8d lIORSEMAlC. 


o34 

only to cause a change in bis post of observation. When tw ilipht bepan 
to fiinp its purple shadows over the plain, he rose to his feet and, hdsurely 
unfolding his tall figure, stood upright by the stem of the tree — as if this 
altitude was more favorable for “considering.” 

“Thur’s jest a posserbilliiy the skunk mout sneak out i’ the night?” was 
this reflection. " Leastways afore the light o’ the momin’; an’ I must make 
sure which way he takes purayra.” 

“’Taint no use my toatin’ the maar arter me,” ho continued, glancing in 
the direction where the animal had been left. " She’d only bother me. Be- 
side, ihur’s goin’ to be a clurrish sort o’ moonlight ; an’ she mout be seen 
from the nigger quarter. She’ll be better hyur — both for grass and kiver.’’ 

He went back to the mare; took off the saddle; fastened the trail-iope- 
I round her neck, tying the other end to a tree ; and then, unstripping liis old 
' blanket from the cantle, he threw it across his left arm, and walked off in 
the direction of Caso del Corvo. 

He did not proceed ^ari ; but now quicker, and now more hesitatingly 
■ — timing himself, by the twilight — so that his approach might not be ob-_ 
served Ifom the hacienda. 

Ho had need of this caution : for the ground which he had to pass was 
like a level lawn, without copse or cover of any kind. Here and there stc^ 
a solitary tree — dwarf-oak or algarobia, but not close enough to shelter him 
from being seen through the windows — much less from the azoeta. 

Now and then he stopped altogether— to wait for the deepening of the 
twilight. 

Working his way in this stealthy manner, he arrived within less than 
two hundred yards of the walls — just as the last trace of sunlight disap- 
peared from the sky. 

He had reached the goal of his journey— for that day— and the spot on 
which he was likely to pass the night. v i . j - 

' A low stemless bush grew near ; and, laying himself down behind it, he 
resumed the espionage, that could scarce be said to have been interrupted. 

****** 

Thrmghout the live-long night Zeb Stump never closed both eyes at the 
same time. One was always on the watch ; and the unflagging earnest- 
’ ness, with which he maintained it, proclaimed him to be acting under the 
influence of some motive beyond the common. 

During the earlier hours he was not without sounds to ch^r, or at least 
relievo the monotony of his lonely vigil. There waa the ham of voices 
' from the slave cabins ; with now and then a peal of laughter. But this 
was more suppressed than customary ; nor was it 
! clear strain of the violin, or the lively tink-a-tink of the banjo-sounds 

] almost characteristic of the “ negro-quarter, tl,,, 

I The sombre silence that hung over the big house extended to the 

j ^®B5•ore°m^dnT-h^he%S became hushed, and stillness reigned ^ery 
where • broken^t intervals by the howl of a straying hound— uttered in 
responw^to the howl-bark of a^coyote Uking care to keep far out upon the 

^^The watcher had spent a wearisome day, and could have slept-but for 


THE HEADLESS RORSEMAK. 


3BS 


tiis thoughts. Once when thoso threatened to forsake him, and he was in 
danger of dozing, ho started siuldonly to his feet ; took a turn or two over 
the swanl ; and, then lying down again, re-lit his pipe ; stuck his head 
into the heart of the bush; and smoked away till the bowl was burnt 
cini)ty. 

During all this time, he kept his eyes ui>on the great gateway of tho 
mansion ; whose miussive door — he could tell by the moonlight shining up- 
on it — remained shut. 

Again diil ho change his post of observation ; tho sun’s rising — as its 
setting ha<l done — seeming to give him the cue. 

As the first tint of dawn displayed itself on tho horizon, he rose gently 
to his fet't ; clutched the blanket so as to bring its edges in contact across 
his breast ; and turning his back upon Casa del Corvo, walked slowly 
away — taking the same track by whicii he had approached it on tho pre- 
ceeding night. 

And again with unequal steps : at short intervals stopping and looking 
back — under his arm, or over his shoulder. 

Nowhere did he make a prolonged pause ; until reaching the locust-tree, 
under whoso shade he had made his evening meal ; and there, in tho same 
identical altitude, he proceeded to break his fast. 

Tlie second half of tho “ pone” and tho remaining moiety of the pork 
soon disappeared between his teeth ; after which followed tho liquor that 
had been left in the flask. 

Ho had refilled his pipe, and was about relighting it, when an object 
came before his eyes, that caused him hastily to return his flint and steel 
to tho pouch from which ho had taken them. 

Through the blue mist of the morning the entrance of Casa del Corvo 
showed a darker disc. Tho door had been drawn open. 

Almost at the same instant a horseman was seen to sally forth, mounted 
upon a small grey horse ; aud the door was at once closed behind him. 

Zeb Stump made no note of this. He only looked to see what direction 
tho early traveller would take. 

Less than a score of seconds sufBced to satisfy him. Tho horse’s head 
and tho face of the rider were turned toward himself. 

He lost no time in trying to identify either. He did not doubt of its be- 
ing the same man and horse, that had passed that spot on the evening be- 
fore ; and he was equally confident they were going to pass it again. 

What ho did was to shamblo up to his mare ; in some haste got her sad- 
dled and bridled ; and then, having taken up his trail rope, lead her off in- 
to a cover — from which ho could command a view of the chapparal path, 
witliout danger of being himself seen. 

This done, he awaited the arrival of the traveller on the grey steed — 
whom he knew to be Captain Cassius Calhoun. 

Ho waited still longer — until the latter had trotted past; until he bad 
gone quite through the belt of the chapparal, and in the hazy light of tho 
morning gradually disappeared on the prairie beyond. 

Not till then did Zeb Stump clamber into his saddle ; and, “ prodding *' 
his solitary spur against the ribs of his roadster, cause the latter to 
move on. _ 



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TIIK 1IKADLES8 IIORSKMAX. 


;i3G 

'■ n« went after Cas-V:u. C.illiouu ; but without showing the slightest cov> 
oern about keeping the b'tlcr j ^ the grass was to hin» 

' a ihe grey nrustang ^type. as legible as the 

. « irol ; .je, golBg at a gallop I 


CHAPTER LXXXI. 

HEADS DOWN — HEELS UP I 


-I 


• • ai.nf La lind been seen leaving the house — except by 
fho gre, .nu..«og-C.lhoua redo on aero» the 

'’'“^tlly .m™.picion. 1.0, in pa..ing th, point whom Zel, Stomp 

j ‘‘uth^dta rtlwrnrmng 1,0 .opposed Limselt oosooo by boman 

eye; and ho reckt^ ‘'?\‘jL^\\mberTd border, i.e struck off towards the 
After parting Irom llicn increasing to a canter. 

Nueces ; riding at a -j j but little note of aught that was 

I For the first six or eight mibs borizon seemed to satisfy him ; 

: around. An occasional glance circle before his face. 

' and this exteiidctl only I ^ only onco behind ; after 

j Ih, hKiked neither to the righ no the eft - 

; uiKii^which his thoughts were 

straying. ^ Iy one other knew ; that other Zeb 

i Sglffio" Ui «l.o™ imigloo lb., morlal mao could b.vo a 

I suspicion of the nature J*'® ; but it was a conjecture of the 

The old hunter had only conjee had made him his 

truth of which he was as c^J • ^ search of ihe Headless, 

1 Cl,roJn of y».ard,y, i.ub a boiler 

chance of efrecting a captiue a Texan stag, Calhoun was hy no 

■fboogl, b,, ■striding a,f “,“.“ ,0 ,.,.„y cl'* bisgcllmg 

moaiiB snnguinc- of succfSB. least two to one ; nod tbie it 

■ ttiirhi of the game he intendid i,e rode onward. 

1 was that formiKl the theme o IIS' r« golaccd by a hope founded 

The uncertainty trou' led him , but no as 

wl:^a ’[^rlicuh^rlnce where he had twice encountered the thing 

he was in search oh It niight p®^“^J|“Y^hore the savannah was bor- 

This was an embay mint oj^gr e^ ^p^bouchure of that opening- 
deretl by the chappara , > _ bad been committed 1 

where it was supposed tlie mnrdr IOC ri-flected Calhonn, as ho 

. Odd he should always make it is 1 Looks as if h. 

pondered ni>on the circiimstanco. D “g y 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


knew . Bah ! It’s only because the grass is better, and that |M>nd by 

the side of it. Well ! I hope he’s been thinking that way this inoi ning. 
If so, there’ll be a chance of finding him. If not, I must go on tlirougli 
the cbapparal ; and hang mo if I like it — though it be in the daylight. 
Ugh ! 

“ Pisli 1 what’s there to fear — now that he’» safe in limbo? Nothing but 
the bit of lead ; and it I must have, if I should ride this thing till it droj's 
dead in its tracks. Holy Heaven I what’s that out yonder?” 

These last six words were spoken aloud. All the rest bad been a solilo- 
quy in thought. 

'Fbe speaker, on pronouncing them, pulled up, almost dragging the mus 
tang on its haunches ; and with eyes tliat seemed ready to start from their 
sockets, sate gazing across the plain. 

There was something more than surprise in that steadfast glance — there 
was horror. 

And no wonder : for the spectacle upon which it rested was one to terrify 
the stoutest lieart. 

The sun had stolen up above horizon of the prairie, and was behind th** 
rider’s back, in the direct line of the course he had been pursuing. Before 
him, along the heaven’s edge, extended a belt of bluish mist — the exhala- 
tion arising out of tlic cbapparal — now not far distant. The trees them- 
selves were unseen — concealed under the film floating over them, that like 
a veil of purple gauze, rose to a considerable height above their tops — 
gradually merging into the deeper azure of the sky. 

On this veil, or moving behind it — as in the transparencies of a stage 
scene — appeared a form strange enough to have left the spectator incredu- 
lou.s, had he not beheld it before. It was that of the Headless Horseman. 

But not as seen before — either by Calhoun himself, or any of the others. 
It was now altogether different. In shape the same ; but in size it was in- 
creased to tenfold its original dimensions ! 

No longer a man, but a Colossus — a giant. No longer a horse, hut an 
animal of equine shape, with the towering height and huge massive bulk 
of a mastodon I 

Nor was this all of the new to he noted about the Headless Horseman. A 
3till greater change was presented in his appearance ; one yet more inex- 
plicable, if that could possibly be. He was no longer walking upon the 
ground, but against the sky ; both horse and rider moving in an inverted 
position! The hoofs of the former were distinctly perceptible upon the 
upper edge of the film ; while the shoulders — I had almost said head — of 
the latter were close down to the line of the horizon 1 The serapo shroud- 
ing them hung in the right direction — not as regarded the laws of gravity 
but the attitude of the wearer. So, too, the bridle reins, the mane, and 
sweeping tail of the horse. All draped upwards ! 

When first seen, the spectral form — now more spectre-like than ever — 
was going at a slow, leisurely walk. In this pace it for some time con- 
tinued — Calhoun gazing upon it with a heart brimful of horror. 

All of a sudden it assumed a change. Its regular outlines became con- 
fused hy a quick transformation ; the horse having turned, and gone off at 
a trot in the opposite direction, though still with heels against the sky I 

The spectre had become alarmed, and was retreaiingl 



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TUB BBADLSSa HORSEMJLV. 


;38 

) 

Calhoan, half palsied with fear, would have kept his ground, au<l per 
aitted it to depart, but for his own horse ; that, just then shying suddenly 
ound, placed him face to face with the explanation. 

j As he turned, the tap of a shod hoof upon the prairie turf admonished 
lim that a real horseman was near— if that could be called real, which had 
brown such a frightful shadow. 

j “ It’s the mirage !’’ he exclaimed, with the addition of an oath to give vent 
:o his chagrin. “ What a fool I’ve been to let it humbug mo I There's 
-ho d— d thing that did it : the very thing I’m in search of. And so close 
oo 1 If I’d known, I might have got hold of him before ho saw mo. 
■'low for a chase ; and by O — I’ll grup him, if I have to gallop to the 
Jther end of Texas 1” 

; Voice, spur, and whip were simultaneously exerted to prove the siwakcr’s 
arnestness; and in five minutes after, two horsemen were going at full 
iretch across the prairie — their horses both to the prairie born— one close- 
*y pursiring the other — the pursued without a head ; the pursuer with a 
•leart that throbbed under a desperate determination. 
!*«*•*•* « 

; The chase was not a long one — at least, so far as it led over the open 
jrairio ; and Calhoun had begun to congratulate himself on the prospect 
jf a capture. 

i His horse appeared the swifter, but this may have arisen from his btdng 
more earnestly urged ; or that the other was not suiSciently scared to care 
or escaping. Certainly the grey steed gained ground — at length gutting 
io close, that Calhoun made ready his rifle. 

^ His intention was to shoot the horse down, and put an end to the 
‘pursuit. 

' He would have fired on the instant, but for the fear of a miss. But hav- 
.ng made more than one already, he restrained himself from pulling the 
trigger, till he could ride close enough to secure a killing shot, 
j While thus hesitating, the chase veered suddenly from oflT the treeless 
plain, and dashed into the opening of the timber. 

j This movement, unexpected by the pursuer, caused him to lose ground ; 
\nd in the endeavor to regain it, more than a half mile distance was left 
behind him. 

I He was approaching a spot well, too well, known to him — the place 
Jwhore blood had been spilt. 

^ On any other occasion he would have shunned it ; but there was in his 
heart a thought that hindered him from dwelling upon memories of the 
^pas'./— steeling it against all refiection, except a cold fear for the future, 
'^rhe capture of the strange equestrian could alone allay this fear — by re- 
moving the danger he dreaded. 

1 Once more he had gained gromid in the chase. The spread nostrils of 
;hia steed were almost on a line with the sweeping tail of that pursued. 
(His rifle lay ready in liis left hand, its trigger guai^ covered by the fingers 
of his right. He was searching for a spot to take aim at. 

In another second the shot would have been fired, and a bullet sent be- 
tween the libe of the retreating hone, when the latter, as if becoming 


THE HBADLBSS HORSEMAK. 


830 


aware of the danger, made a quick curvet to the oflF side ; and then, aiming 
a kick at the snout of his pursuer ; bounded off In a different direction I 

The suddenness of the demonstration, with the sharp, spiteful " e<iueal" 
that accompanied it — appearing almost to sjK'ak of an unearthly intelli- 
gence — for the moment disconcerted Calhoun ; as it did the horse he was 
riding. 

The latter came to a stop ; and refused to go further ; till the spur, 
plunged deep between his ribs, once more forced him to the gallop. 

And now more earnestly than ever did his rider urge him on ; for the 
pursued, no longer keeping to the path, was heading direct for the thicket. 
The chase might there terminate, wit.iout the chased animal being either 
killed or captured. 

Hitherto Calhoun had only been thinking of a trial of speed. He had 
not anticipated such an ending, as was now both possible and probable ; 
and with a more reckless resolve, he once more raised his rifle for the 
shot. 

By this time both were close in to the bushes — the Headless Horseman 
already half screened by the leafy branches that swept swishing along his 
sides. Only the hips of his horse could be aimed at ; and ut)on these was 
the gun levelled. 

The sulphureous smoko spurted forth from its muxzle ; the crack was 
heard simultaneously ; and, as if caused by the discharge, a dark object 
camo whirling through the cloud, and fell with a dull “ thud” upon the 
ea.’tln 

With a bound and a roll — that brought it among the feet of Calhoun’s 
horse — it became staiionary. 

Stationary, but not still. It continued to oscillate from side to side, like 
a top before ceasing to spin. 

Tlio grey steed snorted, and reared back. His rider uttered a cry of in- 
tensified alarm. 

And no wonder. If rearl in Shakep«!arean loro, he might have appropri- 
stely repeated the words ‘‘ Shake not thy gory locks”: for, on the ground 
beneath, was the head of a man — -still sticking in its hat — whoso stiff orbic- 
ular brim hindered it from staying still. 

The face was toward Calhoun — upturned at just such an angle as to bring 
it full before him. The features were blood-stained, wan, and shrivelled ; 
the eyes open, but cold and dim, like balls of blown glass ; the teeth gleam- 
ing white between livid lips, yet seemingly sot in an expression of careless 
contentment. 

All this saw Cassius Calhoun. 

Ho saw it with fear and trembling. Not for the supernatural or unknown 
but for the real and truly comprehended. 

Short was his interview with that silent, but speaking head. 

Ere it had ceastni to oscillate on the smooth sward, he wrenched hishorss 
around ; struck the rowels deep ; and galloped away from the ground 1 

No farther went he in pursuit of tlie Headless Horseman — still heard 
breaking through the bushes — but back — back to the prairi* ; and on, on, 
to Casa del Corvo I 




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^■1 



THE IIEADLE63 H0R8EUAK. 


d4v'> 


CHAPTER LXXXII. 

A qUEEll PARCEL. 

The backwoodsman, after emerging from tbe thicket, proceeded asleiiurel) 
a)on^ llie trail as if ho had tho whole day before him, and no particular ma 
tiv^e for making haste. 

And yet, one closely scrutinizing his features, might there have observed 
an expression of intense eagerness ; that accorded with his nervous twitch- 
Ing in the saddle, and the sharp glances from time to time cast before him. 

He scarce deigned to look upon tho “ sign” left by Calhoun. It he oould 
read out of the corner of his eye. As to following it, the old mare could 
have done that without him 1 

It was not this knowledge that caused him to hang back ; for he wwnld 
have preferred keeping Calhoun in sight. But by doing this, the latter 
might see him ; and so frustrate the end he desired to attain. 

This end was of more importance than any acts that might occur be- 
tween ; and, to make himsi If acquainted with the latter, Zeb Stump trust- 
ed to the craft of his intellect, rather than tho skill of his senses. 

Advancing slowly and with caution — but with that constancy that in- 
sures good speed — ho arrived at length on the spot where the mirage had 
made itself manifest to Calhoun. 

Zob saw nothing of this. It was gone ; and tho sky stretched down to 
the prairie — the blue meeting tho green in a straight unbroken line. 

Ho saw, however, what excited him almost as much as the spectre would 
have done: two sets of horse tracks going together — those that went after 
being tho hoof-marks of Calhoun’s now horse — of which Zeb had already 
taken tho measure. 

About tho tracks umierneath he had no conjecture — at least as regarded 
their identification. These ho knew, as well as if his own mare had made 
them. 

“ The skunk’s hed a find 1” were the words that escaped him, as he sate 
gazing ui)on the double trail. “ It don’t foller Irom thet,” ho continued, in 
the saTno candess drawl, " thet ho hez made a catch. An’ yit, who knows ? 
Dorn me, ef ho mouln't! Thur’s lots o’ chances for his doin’ it. The 
moostang may a let him come dost uji — seein’ as he’s ridin’ one o’ its own 
sort : an’ ef it dud — aye, ef it dud . 

“ What the durnation am I stannin’ hyur for ? Thur ain’t no time to be 
wa.-<ted in shiller-shallerin’. Ef he shed grup thet critter, an’ get what he 
wants from it, then I moul whissel for what I want, ’ithout the ghost o’ a 
chance for gettin it. 

" I must make a better rate o’ speed. Qeo-up, ole gurl ; an see ef ye 
can’t overtake ’hat c’-o grey boss, ns scuttled p-ast half-a-hour agone. Now 
for a spell o’ yur swiftness, tho which yo kin show along wi’ any o’ them, I 
reckon— thet air when ye’re pressed.” . i . 

InsU'ad of using tho cruel means employed by him when wanting his 
mare to make her lu-st spe<Kl. he only drove the old spur against her ribs, 
and started her into a trot. Ho had no desire to travel more rapidly than 
was consistent with can' ion ; and wliilo trotting, he kept his eyes sharply 
ranging along the skyline in front of him. 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


341 


” Prom the way his track runs,” w.as his reflection, “ I kin tell pretty 
nigh whar it’s goin’ to fetch out. Everything seems to go that way ; an’ 
so did ho, poor young fellur — never more to come back. Ah, wal ! ef tain’t 
possible to ree-vive him agin, may be it air to squar thoyurds wi’ the skunk 
as de-troyed him. The Scripter sea, ‘ a eye for a eye, an’ a tooth for a toot h’, 
an' I’ll shot up somebody’s daylights, an’ spoil the use o’ thur ivories afore, 

I liev done wi’ him. Somebody as don’t suspeeshun it neyther, an’ that 

game . Heigh ! Yonner he goes ! An’ yonner too the HeadUw, by 

(leehosophat I Full gallup both; an’ dura me, if the grey ain’t a over- 
takin him 1” 

“ 'riiey aint coinin’ this way, so ’tain’t no use iu our squattin, ole gurl 
Stan’ steady for all that. He moul see us movin’. 

“No fear. He’s too full o’ his frolic to look anywhar else, than straight 
custruct afore him. Ha ! jest as I expected — into tho openin’ I Right 
down it, fast ns heels kin carry ’em I 

“ Now, my maar, on wo go agin !” 

Another stage of trotting; with' his eyes kept stedfastly fixed npon tho 
chapparal gap ; brought Zeb to the timber. 

Although the chase had long since turned the angle of the avenue, and 
was now out of sight, he did not go along the open ground ; but among 
tho bushes that bordered it. 

He went so as to command a view of the clear track for some distnneo 
ahead ; at the same time taking care that neither himself, nor his mare, 
might be seen by any one advancing from the opposite direction. 

He did not anticipate meeting any one ; much less tho man who soon 
after came in sight. 

He was not greatly surprised at hearing a shot: for he had been listen- 
ing for it, ever since he had set eyes on tho chase. He was rather in sur- 
prise at not hearing it sooner ; and when the crack did come, he recognised 
the report of a yager rifle, and knew whose gun had been discharged. 

He was more astonished to see its owner returning along the lane ; in 
less than five minutes after tho shot had been fired; returning, too, with a 
rapidity that told of retreat ! 

“ Cornin’ back again ; an’ so soon !” ho muttered, on perceiving Calhoun. 
“ Dog-goned queery thet air ! Tluir’s somethin’ amiss, more’n a miss, I 
reck’n. Ho, he, he I Goin’, too, as if h — 1 war arter him ! Maybe it’s tlie 
Headless hisself, and thur’s been a changin’ about in the chase ; tit for tat I 
Durn me, ef it don’t look like it I I’d gie a silver dollar to see thet sort o’ 
a thing. He, he, he, ho, ho, hoo!” 

Long before this, tho hunter bad sli]>ped out of his saddle, and taken the 
precaution to screen both himself and his animal from the chance of being 
seen by the retreating rider ; who promised soon to pass the spot. 

And soon did he pass it, going at such a gait, and with such a wild ab- 
stracted air, that Z»!b would scarce have been perceived had he been stand- 
ing uncovered in the avenue 1 

“ Qeehosoyihat I” mentally ejaculated the backwoodsman, as the passion- 
scathed countenan&i came near enough to be scrutinized. “ If h — 1 ain’t 
arter, it’s imide o’ him 1 Durn me, ef thet face ain’t the ugliest picter this 
coon ever clapped eyes on. 1 shed pity the wife as gets him. Poor Mii# 



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THE HEADLESS HOKSEMAIf. 


Peintdoxter I I hope bIio' 11 be able to Bteer clur o’ havin’ sech a eut-tbroat 
as him to be her lord an’ master. 

What's up anyhow ? Thar don’t ’pear to bo anythin’ arter him T An’ 
he still keeps on 1 Wliar’s he boun’ for now ? I must toiler an’ see.” 

"To hum ajfin I’’ exclaimed the hunter, alter goinjf on to the edge ofth« 
chapparal, and observed Calhoun still going at a gallop, with head turned 
homeward. " Hum agin, for sarlin 1’’ 

“Now, ol gurl ’’’ he continued, having remained silent till the grey 
horse was nearly out of sight, “ You an’ me goes t’other way. We must 
find out what thet shot wur fired for.’’ 

*'*♦** 

In ten minutes af'er, Zeb had alighted from his mare, and lifted up from 
the ground an object, the stoutest heart might have felt horror in taking 
hold of — disgust, even, in touching ! 

Not so the old hunter. In that object he beheld the lineaments of a face 
well known to him — despite the shrivelling of the skin, and the blood 
streaks that so fearfully falsified its expression — still dear to him, despite 
death and a merciless mutilation. 

He had loved that face, when it belonged to a boy ; he now cherished it, 
belonging not to anybody! 

Clasping the rim of the hat that fitted tightly to the temples — Zeb en- 
deavoured to take it off. He did not succeed. The head was swollen so, as 
almost to burst the bullion band twisted around it 1 

Holding it in its natural position, Zeb stood for a time gazing tenderly 
on the face. 

Lord, O Lordy 1’’ ho drawlingly exclaimed, “ what a present to take 
back to Ais father, to say nothin’ o’ the sister ! I don’t think I’ll take it. It 
air better to burry the thing out hyur, an’ say no more abeout it. 

" No ; durn me ef I do I What am I thinkin’ o’ ? Tho’ I don’t exackly 
see how it may help to sarcumstantiate the chain o’ evvydince, it may do 
somethin’ torst it. Durned queery witness ff ’ll be to purduce in a coort o' 
justis !’’ 

Saying this, he unstrapped his old blanket ; and using it as a wrappeii 
carefully packed within it head, hat, and all. 

Then, hanging the strange bundle over the horn of his saddle, he re* 
moonted his mare, and rode refiectingly away. 


CHAPTER LXXXIIL 

LIMBS OF THE LAW. 

On the third day after Maurice Gerald became an inmate of the military 

8 risen the fever had forsaken him, and he no longer talked incoherently. 

n tho fourth he was almost restor^ to his health and strength. The fifth 
was appointed for his trial ! 

This haste — ^that elsewhere would have been considered indecent— was 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


34 ;^ 


thought nothing of in Texas ; where a man may commit a ca]>itnl offense, 
be tried, and hanged witliin the short space of four-aud-t wenty hours 1 
His enemies, who were numerous, for some reason of their own, insisted 
upon dispatch ; while his friends, who were few, could urge no go(^ reason 
against it. 

Among the populace there was tho usual clamouring for prompt and 
speedy justice; fortified by that exciting phrase, old ns tho creation itself; 
"that the blood of tho murdered man was calling from tho ground for 
vengeance.’’ 

'riio advocates of an early trial were favored by a fortuitous circum- 
stance. 'riie judge of tho Supremo Court chanced just then to be going 
his circuit ; and the days devoted to clearing tho calendar at Fort Inge, 
had been appointed for that very week. 

'fhere was, therefore, a sort of necessity, that the case of Maurice Gerald, 
as of tho other susjHJCted murderers, should be tried within a limited’ 
time. 

As no one objected, there was no one to ask for a postponement ; and it 
8t<^ uiK>n the d(x;ket for the day in question— the fifteenth of tho mouth. 

The accused might require the services of a legal adviser. Thei-a was 
no regular practitioner in the place: as in these frontier districts tho gen- 
tlemen of tho long robe usually travel in company with the Court ; and 
the Court had not yet 8:rived. For all that, a lawyer had appeared : a 
“counsellor ’ of distinction ; who had come all the way from San Antonio 
to conduct tho case. As a volunteer he had presented himself I 
It may have been generosity on the part of this gentlemen, or an eye 
to Congress, though it was said that gold, presented by fair fingers, had 
induced him to make tho journey. 

When it rains, it pours. The adage is true in Texes ns regards the ele- 
ments ; and on this occasion it was true of the lawyers. 

The day before that appointed for the trial of the inustanger, a second 
presented himself at Fort Inge, who put forward his claim to be’ upon the 
side of the prisoner. 

This gentleman had made a still longer journey than he of San Antonio- 
a voyage, in fact ; since he had crossed the great Atlantic, starting from the 
metropolis of the Emerald Isle. He had come for no other purpose than to 
hold communication with the man accused of having committed a mur- 
der ! 

It is true, the errand that had brought him did not anticipate this • and 
the Dublin solicitor was no little astonished when, after depositing his 
travelling traps under the roof of Mr. Oberdoffer's hostelry, and making in- 
quiry about Maurice Gerald, ho was told that the young Irishman was 
shut up in the guard-house. 

Still greater the attorney’s astonishment on learning tho cause of his 
incarceration. 

“ Fwhat 1 the son of a Muusther Gerald accused of murdher ! The heir 
of Castle Ballagh, wid its bewtiful park and demesne. Fwy I’ve got the 
jmpers in my portmantyee here. Faugh-a-ballagh ! Show mo the way to 

‘Though the " Texan ’’ Boniface wa« inclined to consider his recentlj ar 



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S44 


THS HBADLSae nOKSEMAV. 


rived gaoRt entitl<»i to a suspicion of lunacy, be assented to his request 
and furnished him with a guide to the guard-house. 

If the Irish attorney was mad, there appeared to be method in his mad- 
neao. Instead of being denied admittance to the accused criminal, ho waf 
!uade welcome to go in and out of the military prison — as often as it seem- 
ed good to him. 

Some document he had laid before the eyes of the major-commandant, 
had procured him this privilege ; at the same time placing him en rapport, 
in a friendly way, with the Texan “ counsellor.” 

The advent of the Irish attorney at such crisis gave rise to much specula- 
tion ai tl»e Fort, the village, and throughout the settlement. The bar-room 
of the “ Rough and Ready” was rife with conjunctures — quidnunc* they 
could scarcely bo called : since in Texas the genus does not exist. 

A certain grote-queness about the man added to the national instinct for 
guessing — wliich had been rendered excruciatingly keen through some 
revelations, contributed by “ Old Duger.” 

For ail that, the transatlantic limb of the law proved himself tolerably 
true to the traditions of his craft. With the exception of the trifling im- 
prudences already detailed — lirawn from him in the first moments of sur- 
prise ; he never afterwards commited himself ; but kept his lips close as an 
oyster at ebb tide. 

There was not much time for him to use his tongue. On the day after 
hia arrival the trial was to take place ; and during most of the interval he 
was either in the guard-house along with the prisoner, or closeted with the 
Ban Antonio counsel. 

The rumor becatne rifo that Maurice Gerald had told them a tale — a 
atr.inge weird story — but of its details the world outside remained in itch- 
ing iguorance. 

There was one who knew it— one able to confirm it — Zeb Stump the 
hunter. 

There may have been another ; but this other was not in the confidence 
olther of the accused or his counsel. 

Zeb himself did not api>ear in their company. Only once had he been 
»een conferring with them. After that ho was gone — both from the guard- 
ho'ise and the settlement, as everybody supposed, about his ordinary busi- 
ness — in search of doer, ” baar,” or “ gobbler.” 

Everybody was in error. Zeb for the time had forsaken his usual pur- 
suits, or, at all events, the game he was accustomed to chase, capture, and 
kill. 

It is true he was out upon a stalking expedition ; but instead of birds or 
beasts, he was after an animal of neither sort ; one that could not bo classed 
with creatures either of the earth or the air — a horseman without a head. 

CHAPTER LXXXIV. 

AN AFFECTIONATB KBPHBW. 

•' Trikd to-morrow — to-morrow, thank God I Not likely that anybody 'll 
catch that cursed thing before then — to be hoped, never. 

"It is all I’ve got to fear. I defy them to tell what’s happened without 
that. Haag mo if I know myso f ! Enough only to 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAIt. 




“ Queer, the coming of this Irish pettifogger 1 

“ Queer, too, the fellow from San Antonio ! Wonder who and what 
brought him? Somebody’s promised him his costs? 

D — n em ! I don’t care, not the value of a red cent. They can make 
nothing out of it, but that Gerald did the deed. Everything points that 
way: and everybody thinks so. They’re Iwundto convict him. 

•‘Zeb Stump don’t think it, tho suspicious old snake! He’s nowhere to 
be found. Wonder where he has gon^ ? On a hunt, they say. ’Taint like- 
ly, such a time as this. What if ha be hunting it ? What if he should 
catch it?’’ 

“ I’d try again myself if there wca time. There ain’t. Before tomorrow 

night it’ll be all over ; and afterwards if there should turn up . D n 

afterwards ! The thing is to make sure now. Let tho future look to itself. 
With one man hung for ilie murder, tain’t likely they’d care to accuse 
another. Even if something suspicious did turn up ! They’d bo shy to 
take hold of it. It would be like condemning themselves I 

“ I reckon I’ve got all right with the Regulators. Sam Manley himself, 
appears pretty well convinced. I knocked his doubts upon the head when 
I told him what I heard that night. A little more than I did hear ; though 
that was enough to make a man stark, staring mad. D n ! 

“ It’s no use crying over spilt milk. She's met the man, and there’s a« 
end of it. She’ll never meet him again, and that’s another end of it — except 
she meet him in heaven. Well ; that will depend upon herself. 

“ I don’t think anything hat happened between them She’s not the sort for 
that, with all her wildness ; and it may bo what that yellow wench tells me 
—OT\\j gratitude. No, no, no I It can’t be. Gratitude don’t get out of bed 
in the middle of the night — to keepap{)ointments at the bottom of the gar- 
den ? She loves him — she loves him ! Let her love and be d — d 1 Sho 
shall never have him. She shall never see him again, uult-ss she prove 
obstinate ; and then it will be but to condemn him. A word from her, and 
he’s a hanged man. 

" She shall speak it, if she don’t say that other word. I’ve twice asked her 
for. The third time will be the last. One more refusal, and I show my 
hand. Not only shall this Irish adventurer meet his doom; but she shall 
be his condemner ; and the plantation, house, niggers, everything——. 
Ah ! uncle Woodley ; I wanted to see you.” 

The soliloquy above reported took place in a chamber, tenanted only by 
Cassius Calhoun. 

It was Woodley Poindexter who interrupted it. Sad, silent, straying 
through the corridors of Casa del Corvo, he had entered the apartment 
usually occupied by his nephew — more by chance than from any premedi- 
tated purpose. 

" Want me ! For what, nephew.” 

There was a tone of humility, almost obedience, in the speech of the 
broken man. The once proud Poindexter — before whom two hundred 
slaves had trembled every day, every hour of their lives, now stood in tbs 
presence of his master I 

True, it was his own nephew who had the power to humiliate him — his 
Aster’s son. 

Bat there was not much in that, considering the character of the man. 



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•i**'' TUE HEADLESS HOKSEMAK. 

‘‘I w.int to speak to you alwut Loo,” was the rejoinder of Cnlhonn. 

It was tlie very subject Woodley Poindexter would have shunned. h 
was something he dreaded to think about, much less make the to})ic of dia 
course ; and less still with him who now challenged it. 

Nevertheless, he did not betray suri)ri8e. Ho scarce felt it. Something 
said or done on the day before had led him to anticipate this request for a 
conversation — as also the nature of the subject. 

The manner in which Callioun introduced it, did not diminish his anea- 
siness. It sounded more like a demand than a request. 

” About Loo? What of her?” he inquired, with assumed calmness. 

“ Well,” said Calhoun, apparently in reluctant utterance, as if shy about 

entering upon the subj- ct, or pretending to b«3 so, " I— I_wanted ” 

“ I’d rather,” put in the planter, taking advantage of the other’s hesitancy 
" I’d rather not sj)euk of lier now." 
j This was said almost supplicatingly. 

“ And why not now, uncle ?” asked Calhoun, emboldened by the show of 
f opposition. 

: ” You know ray reasons, nephi w ?” 

■ “ W<-'.1, I know the time is not pleasant. Poor Henry missing— supposed 

to b« After all, he may turn up yet, and everything be right again.” 

Never ! we shall never see him again — living or dead. I have no longer 
a son !” 

“ You have a daughter ; and she ” 

” Has disgraced nu!!” 

“ I don’t believe it, uncle — no.” 

” What means these things I’ve heard — myself seen? What could have 
taken her there — twenty miles across the country — alone — in the hut of a 
’ common horse trader — standing by his bedside? O OodI And why 
should she have interi)osed to save him — him, the murderer of my son — 

’ her own brother ? O Cot! !” 

“ Her own story explains the first — satisfactorily, as I think." 

Calhoun did mt think so. 

“ The second is simple enough. Any woman would have done the same 
— a woman like I»o.” 

“There is wo/ic like her. I, her father, say so. Oh 1 that I could think 
it is, as you say! My poor daughter I who should now be dearer to me 
I tnan ever — now that I have no son ! ’ 

“ It is for her to find you a son — one already related to you ; and who 
can promise to jilay the ]>nrt — with perhaps not so much affection as him 
I you have lost, but with all he has the power to give. I won’t talk to you 
in riddles. Uncle Woodley, You kno%v what I mean ; and how my mind’s 
made up alx)ut this matter. / tcawr Lno!” 

The planter showed no surprise at the laconic declaration. He expected 
it. For all that, the shadow became darker on his brow. It was evident 
he did not relish the pro|x)sed alliance. 

This may bo strange. Up to a late period, he had been its advocate 
— in his own mind — and more than once, delicately, in the ear of his 
j daughter. 

i Previous to the migration into Texas, be had known comparatively little 
of his nephew. 



THB HEADLESS HOKSEMAN. 


Since coming to manhocHi, Callioun had been a citizen of the state of 
Mississippi — more frequently a dweller in the dissipated city of New Or 
leans. An occasional visit to the Louisiana plantation was all his uncle 
had seen of him ; until tlie developing beauty of his cousin Louise gave 
him the inducement to make these visits at shorter intervals — each time 
protracting them to a longer stay. 

There was then twelve months of campaigning in Mexico; where lu 
rose to the rank of a captain ; and, after his conquests in war, he had r<v 
turned home with the full determination to make a conquest in love — the 
heart of his Creole cousin. 

From that time his re.'idence under his uncle’s roof had been more per 
maneut. If not altogether liked by the young lady, lie had made himself 
welcome to her father, by means seldom known to fail. 

Tlio planter once rich, was now jxxir. Extravagance had reduced his 
estate to a hopeless indebtedness. With liis nephew, the order was 
reversed : once jxxir, ho was now rich. Chance had made him so. Under 
tlie circumstances, it was not surprising, that money had passed between 
them. 

In his native place, and among his old neigiibors, Woodley Poindexter 
still commanded sufliciont homage to shield him from the suspicion of 
b«‘ing utuler his nephew ; as also to restrain the latter from exhibiting the 
customary arrogance of the creditor. 

It was only after tlie move into Texas, tliat their relations began to 
assume that peculiar character observable between mortgagor and 
mortgagee. 

It grew more patent, after several attempts at love making on the part 
of Callioun, with corresponding repulses cn the part of Louise. 

Tlie planter had now a better o(iportun;ty of becoming acquainted with 
the true character of his nephew ; and almost everyday, since their arrival 
at Casa del Corvo, had this been developin,: itself to his discredit. 

Callioun’s quarrel with the mustanger, atd its ending, had not strcngtli- 
ene<i liis uncle’s respect for him ; though, as a kinsman, he was under the 
necessity of taking sides with him. 

There bad occurred other circumstances to cause a change i:t his feeling* 
—to make him, notwithstanding its many advantages, didik$ the connec- 
tion. 

Alas I there was much also to render it, it cot agreeable, at least not to 
be slightingly set aside. 

Indecision — perhaps more than the sorrow for his son’s lose— dictated 
the character of his reply. 

" If I understand you aright, nephew, you mean marruige t Surely it is 
not the time to talk of it now — wliile death is in our house! To think of 
such a thing would cause a scandal thoughout the settlement." 

“You mistake me, uncle. I do not mean marriage — that is, not now. Only 
something that will secure it — when the proper time arrives.” 

“ I do not understand you. Cash.” 

“ You’ll do that, if you only listen to me a minute.” 

“ Go on.” 

“ Well, what I want to say is this. I’ve made up my mind to get 
Hurried. I’m now close upon thirty — as you know ; and at that timo f 












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348 


TIIR HBADLRSj) IIORSEMAK. 


man be;jins to jjot tirod of running: about tlio world. I'm damnably tired 
of it ; and don’t intend to keep single any longer. Fm xcilling to have Loo 
for my wife. There need be no hurry about it. All I want now is her pro- 
mise ; signed and sealed, that there may be no fluke, or uncertainty. I 
want the thing settled. When these bolhert blow past, it will be time 
enough to talk of the wedding business, and that sort of thing.” 

Tiie word “ bothers,” with the speech of which it formed part, grated 
harshly on the (sar of a father, mourning for his murdered son! 

The spirit of Woodly Poindexter was aroused — almost to the resumption 
of its old pride, and the indignation that had oft accompanied it. 

It soon cowered again. On one side he saw laud, slaves, wealth, posi- 
tion ; on the other, j>enury that seemed perdition. 

He did not yield altogether ; as may be guessed by the character of bis 
reply. 

“ Well, nephew ; you have certainly spoken plain enough. But I know 
not my daughter’s disposition towards you. You say you are willing to 
have her for your wif '. Is she willing to have you ? I 8up[>o8o there is a 
question about that ? ” 

“ I think, uncle, it will depend a good deal upon yourself. You are her 
father. Surely you can convince her?” 

" I’m not so sure of that. She’s not of the kind to be convinced — against 
her will. You, Cash, know that as well as I.” 

" Well, I only know that I intend getting ‘spliced,’ as the sailors say ; 
"and I’d like Loo for the mistress of Casa del Corvo, better than any other wo- 
man in the Settlement — in all Texas, for that matter.” 

Woodley Poindexter recoiled at the ungracious speech. It w.as the first 
time he had been told that ho was not the master of Casa del Corvo I In- 
dirt'Ctly as the information had been conveyed, he understood it. 

Once more rose before his mind the reality of lands, slaves, wealth, and 
social status— alongside, the apparition of poverty and social abasement 
The last loDked hideous ; though not more so than the man who stood 
before him — his own nephew — soliciting to become his so i 1 
For purposes impossible to comprehend, God often suflers himself to be 
defeated by the Devil. In this instance was it so. The good in Poindex- 
ter’s heart succumbed to the evil. He promised to assist his nephew, in 
<lostroying the happiness of his daughter. 

• « • • * • 

” Loo I” 

“ Father ! ” 

“ I come to ask a favour from yon.” 

" What is it, father? ” 

” You know that your cousin Cash loves yon. He is ready to die for 
— jnore and better still, to marry you.” 

“ But I am not ready to marry him. No, father ; I shall die first. The 
]>re3umptuou8 wretch I I know what it means. And he has sent you to 
make this proposal I Tell him in return, that sooner than consent to bo 

come his wife. I’d go upon the prairies — and seek my living by las»> 

ing wild horses I Tell him that I ” 

* Beflect, daughter I You are, perhaps, not aware thaV — - 


Tits HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


3411 

“ That my cousin is your creditor. I know all that, dear fatlu'r. But I 
know also that you are Woodley Poindexter, and that I am your daugiiUir.* 
Delicately as the hint was given, it produced the desired effect. Th« 
spirit of the planter surged up to its ancient pride. His reply was, — 

“ Dearest Louise I Image of your mother ! I bad doubted you. For- 
give mo, my noble girl t Lot the post be forgotten. I shall leave it to 
yourself. You are free to refuse him I ” 


CHAPTER LXXXV. 

A KIND COUSIN. 

Louise Poindexter made full use of the liberty allowed by her father. 

In less than an hour after, Calhoun was flatly refused. 

It was his third time of asking. Twice before had the same suit been 
preferred ; informally, and rather by a figure of speech than in the 
shape of a direct declaration. 

It was the third time ; and the answer to it would be the last. It was 
a simple “ No, ” emphatically followed by the equally simple “ Never I ” 
There was no prevarication about the speech — no apology for having made 
it. 

Calhoun listened to his rejection, without much show of surprise. Pos- 
sibly — in all probability — ho expected it. 

But instead of the blank look of despair usually observable under tbs 
circumstances, his features remained firm, and his cheoks free from blanching 
As ho stood confronting his fair cousin, a spectator might have been re 
blinded of the Jaguar, as it pauses before 8(>ringing on its prey. 

There was that in his eye that seemed to say: — 

” In less than sixty seconds, you’ll change your tune." 

What he did say was this: — 

“ You’re not in earnest, Lsx) ? ” 

“ I am, sir. Have I spoken like one who jests?” 

” You’ve spoken like one who hasn’t taken pains to reflect.” 

” Upon what?” 

“ Many things . ” 

" Name them. ” 

“ Well, for one, the way I love you. ” ” 

She made no rejoinder. 

“ A love,” he continued, in atone half explanatory, half pleading; " , 
love. Loo, that no man feels for a woman, andsurvivea it. It can end only 
with my life. It could not end with yours.*’ 

There was a pause, but still no reply. 

“’Tis no uso my telling you its history. It began on the same day- 
aye, the same hour I first saw you. 

“I won’t say it gre^y stronger as time passed. It could not. On my 
first visit to your father’s house,— now six years ago - you may reuiembei 
that after aligh ing from my horse, you asked me to take a walk wiih yo« 
round the garden — while dinner was being got ready. 


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350 


TIIK HEADLESS HOnSEMAW. 


“You wew but A stripling of a girl ; but ob, IjOO, you wore a woman ia 
beauty — ns beautiful as you are tliis moment. 

“ No doubt you little thought, as you took me by the hand, and led ma 
along the gravelled walk, under the shade of the China tre<'S, that tin 
touch of your fingers was sending a thrill into my soul ; your pretty 
prattle making an impression on my heart, that neither time, nor distance, 
nor yet dissipation, has been able to efface.” 

The Creole continued to listen, though not without showing sign. 
Words so eloquent, so earnest, so full of sweet flattery, could scarce fail tc 
have efIi'Ct upon a woman. By such speech had Lucifer succeeded in the 
accomplishment of his purpose. There was pity, if not approval, in Aei 
look ! 

Still did she keep silence. 

Calhoun continued : — 

“Yes, Loo ; it’s true as I tell you. I’ve tried all three. Six years may 
fairly be called time. From Mississippi to Mexico was the distance; for J 
went there with no other purpose than to forged you. It proved of no 
avail ; and, returning, I entered upon a course of dissipation. New-Orleans 
knows that. 

“I won’t say, that my passion grew stronger by these attempts to stitlo 
it. I’ve already told you, it could not. From the hour you first caught 
hold of my hand, and called me cousin — ah I you called me handsome 
cousin, Loo — from that hour, I can remember no change, no degrees, in the 
fervor of my aflection ; except when jealousy has made me hate— aye, so 
much, that I could have killed you I” 

“ Good gracious. Captain Calhoun I This is wild talk of yours. It is 
even silly 1 ” 

“ 'Tis serious, nevertheless. I’ve been so jealous with yon at times, that 
it was a task to control myself. My temper I could not — as you have 
reason to know.” 

“ Alas, cousin, I cannot help what has happened. I never gave you 
cause, to think ” 

“I know what you are going to say ; and you may leave it unspoken. IT! 
say it for you : ‘ to think that you ever loved me.’ Those were the words 
upon your lips. 

, “ I don’t say you did',” he continued, with deepening despair ; “ I don’t 
accuse you of tempting me. Something did. God, who gave you such 
beauty ; or the Devil, who led me to look upon it.” 

*• What you say only causes mo pain. I do not suppose yon are trying 
to flatter me. You talk too earnestjy for that. But oh, cousin Cassius, 'tis 
a fiincy from which you will easily recover. There are others, far fairer 
than I ; and many, who would feel complimented by such speeches. Why 
not address yourself to th<>m ?” 

“ Why not ?” he echoed, with bitter emphasis. “ What an idle ques- 
tion I” 

“ I repeat it. It is not idle. Far more so, is your aflection for me ; for I 
must be candid with you, Cassius. I do not — I cannot, love you.” 

“ You will not marry me then ?” 

“ That, at least, is an idle question. I’ve said I do not love yon. Surely 
that is suflicient.” 

“ And I’ve said I love you. I gave it as one reason why I wish yon ftM 


lUE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


351 


my wife ; but there are others. Are you desirous of hearing them ? ' As 
Calhoun asked this question tho suppliant air forsook him. The spirit 
of the jaguar was once more in his eye. 

“ You said there were other reasons. State them! Do not be backward. 

I am not afraid to listen.” ^ . . . , 

“ Indeed 1” he rejoined sneeringly. “ You’re^ not afraid, ain’t you?’ 

“ Not that 1 know of. What have I to fear?” 

" I won't say what yow have ; but what your father has.” 

“Let me hear it? What concerns him, equally afl’ects me. I am his 
daughter ; and now. al .8. his only child . Go on. Cousin Calhoun 1 

What is this shadow hanging over him ?” u . i a . 1 1 

" No shadow Loo ; but something serious, and substantial. A trouble 
he’s no longer able to contend with. You force me to speak of things yoi 

shouldn’t know anything about.” . .r, i t i. i i 

Oh 1 don’t I ? You’re mistaken, cousin Cash. I know them already. 
I’m aware that my father’s in debt ; and that you are his creditor. How 
could I have remained in ignorance of it ? Your arrogance about the house 
— your presumption, shown every hour, and in presence of the domestics 
has lieen evidence sutBcient to satisfy even them, that there is something 
amiss. You are master of Casa del Corvo. I know it. You are not master 

of me !" , A • 1 1 

Calhoun quailed before the defiant speech. Tho card, upon which ho 
had been counting, was not likely to gain tho trick, lie declined playing 
it. 

He held a still stronger in his hand ; which was exhibited without fur- 
ther delay. 

“ Indeed 1” he retorted, sneeringly. “ Well ; if I’m not master of your 
heart, I am of your happinesss— or shall be. I know the wortiiless wretch 

that’s driven you to this denial ” 

“Who?” 

“ How innocent you are I” 

“Of that at least I am ; unless by worthless wretch you mean yourself. 
In that sense I can understand you, sir. Tlie description is too true to be 
mistaken.” 

“ Bo it so 1" he replied, turning livid with rage, though still keeping 
himself under a certain restraint. “ Well ; since you think me so worth- 

1 a. *. V 1 .. . - t f _.. ... T Aa.11 «U 1 • n f 




I’m going to do with you ?” 

" Do with me I You are presumptuous, cousin Cush 1 You talk as if I 
were yonr protegee or slave I I’m neither one, nor the other 1” 

Calhoun, cowering under this outburst of her indignation, remained si- 
lent. 

" Pardieu !" she continued, “ what is this threat ? Tell me what you are 
going to do icith m« T I should like to know that.” 

“You shall.” 

“ Let me hear it 1 Am I to be turned adrifl upon the pr^e, or shut up 
in a convent ? Perhaps it may be a prison ?” 

" You would like the last, no doubt— provided your incarceration waa to 
be in the company of—” 







* 




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$52 


THE HEADLESS KOUSEMA^r. 


" Go on, sir ! What is to bo my dostiny ? I’m impatient to have it d*. 
dared.” 

“ Don’t be in a hurry. The first act shall be rehearsed tomorrow." 

“ So soon ? And where, may I ask?” 

“ In a court of justice.” 

“ How, sir ?” 

“ By your standing before a judge, and in the presence of a jury." 

" iTou are pleased to be Incetious, Captain Calhoun. Let me tell you that 
I don’t like such pleasantries ” 

" Pleasaniries indeed ! I'm stating plain facts. Tomorrow is the day o| 
trial. Mr. Maurice Gerald, or McSweeny, or O’llogerty, or whatever’s hU 
name, will stand before the bar — accused of murdering your brother.” 

“ ’Tis false! J'.aurice Gerald never ” 

" Did the deed, you are going to say ? Well, that remains to be proved. 
It wtU be ; and from your own lips will come the words that’ll prove it— to 
the satisfaction of every man upon the jury.” 

The great garelle-eyes of the Creole were opened to their fullest extent. 
They gazed upon the speaker with a look sucli as is often given by the ga. 
telle itself — a commingling of fear, wonder, and inquiry. 

It was some seconds before she essayed to speak. Thoughts, conjectures 
fears, fanci'-s, and suspicions, all had to do in keeping her silent. 

" I know not what you moan,” she at length rejoined. " You talk of my 
being called into court. For what purpose ? Though I am the sister of 
him, who — I know nothing — can tell no more than is in the mouth of every ' 
body.” 

“ Yes can you ; a great deal more. I’ts not in the mouth of everybody; 
that on the night of the murder, you gave Gerald a meeting at the Injttom 
of the garden. No more does all the worhl know what occurred at that 
Itolen interview. How Henry intruded uiM)n it ; how, maddened, as he 
might well be, by the thought of such a disgrace — not only to his sister but 
his family — he threatened to kill the man who had caused it ; and was only 
hindered from carrying out that threat, by the intercession of the woman 
BO damnably deluded ! 

" All the world don’t know what followed ; how Henry, like a fool, went 
after the low hound, and with what intent. Besides themselves, there 
were but two others who chanced to be spectators of that parting.” 

“Two — who were they?” 

The question was asked mechanically — almost with a tranquil calmness. 

It was answered with equal satig /raid. 

“ One was Cassius Calhoun — the other Louise Poindexter.” 

She did not start. She did not even show signs of being surprised. 
What was spoken already had prepared her for the revelation. Her rejoin* 
der was a single word, pronounced in a tone of defiance. 

" Well I” 

“Well!” echoed Calhoun, chagrined at the slight effect bis speeches ha4 
produced ; “ I suppose you understand me ?” 

“ Not any more than ever.” 

“ You wish me to speak further 

** you please, sir.” 


THE HEADLESS IfORSEMAK. 


358 


\ 


I shall then. I say to you. Loo, there’s but one way to save your fatlk 
•r from ruin — yourself from shame. You know what 1 mean 7” 

“ Yes ; I know that much.” 

“ You will not refuse mo now?” 

“ AW more than ever 

“ B - it so 1 Before this time tomorrow— and, by Heaven I I mean it— bo- 
fore this time tomorrow, you shall stand in the witness-box !” 

“ Vile spy ! Anywhere but in your presence I Out of my sight 1 This 
instant, or I call my father !* / 

“ You needn’t put yourself to the trouble. I’m not going to embarass 
you any longer with my company— so disagreeable to you. 1 h ave you to 
reflect. Perhaps before the trial comes on, you’ll see fit to change your 
mind. If so I hope you’ll give notice of it— in time to stay the summons. 
Wood night, I -oo I Til eleep dreaming of jou.*' 

With the^ wor<ls of mockery ufion his lips— almost as bitter to himself 
as to her who heard them — Calhoun strode out of the apartment with an 
air less of triumph than of guilt. ’ 

lUnise listened, until his footsteps died away in the distant corridor 

Then as if the proud angry thoughts hitherto sustaining her had borome 
suddenly relaxed, she sank into a chair; and, with both hands pressing 
apon her bo8om, tried to still the dread throbbings that now. more than ew 
aisln^ted it. ' 


CHAPTER LXXXVL 

A TEXAN ComiT. 

It is the dawn o» another day. The Aurora, rising rose-colored from tlio 
Tf^T^xas ^«dian sea, flings its sweetest smile athwart the savannaa 

Almost on the same instant that the rosy lifrht kisa^d tl.. j 

d„„„of .1,, 0„lf,,l„« it I " 

^ since there is just this much of an Sa?d"ndi 

nation lu-twcen the coast at Matagorda and ihe spurs of the 
mountains, near winch stand this fronti-r post uuaaaiupo 

® spectacle i»ay be said to have com- 

Aurora, Lorsemen may tetTn 
approaching the mili ary post from all quarters of the compai T^? 

nde up in squads of two, thee, or half a dozen ; dismount as thS^airive^ 
p"rSe.^ Btocade fences, or picket them upon the open 

This done, they gather into groups on the parade-ground ; sUnd con 



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Ttit' 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


3r)4 


vcrain/r or stray down to the villajre ; all, at one time or another, taking g 
turn into the tavern, and paying their respects to Boniface behind the bat 

Tlio men thus assembling are of many distinct types and nationalitiea 
' Almost every country in Europe has furnished its quota; though the 
majority are of that stalwart race whose ancestors expelled the Indians 
from the ‘ Bloody (Jround built log cabins on the sites of their wig. 
wains, and spent the remainder of their lives in felling the forests of the 
Mississippi. Some of them have been brought up to the cultivation of 
corn : others understand better the culture of cotton ; while a large number, 
from homes further south, have migrated into Texas to speculate in the 
growth and manufacture of sugar and tobacco. 

Most are planters by calling and inclination ; though there are graziers 
and cattle-dealers, hunters and horse dealers, store-keepers, and traders of 
other kinds — not a few of them traffickers in human flesh I 

There are lawyers, land-surveyors, and land-siieculators, and other specu- 
lators, of no other proclaimed calling — adventurers ready to take a hand in 
whatever may turn up— whether it be the branding of cattle, a scout 
against Comanchos, or a bjicII of filibustering across the Rio Grande. 

Their costumes are as varied as their callings. They have been already 
described : for the men now gathering around Fort Inge are the same we 
have seen biifore assembled in the courtyard of Casa del Corvo — the same 
with an augmentation of numbers. 

The present assemblage differs in another respect from that composing 
the expedition of searchors. It is graced by the presence of women — the 
wives, sisters, and daughters of the men. Some are on horseback ; and 
remain in tho saddle — their curtained cotton-bonnets shading their fair 
faces from the glare of the sun ; others are still more commodiously 
placed for tho siK'Cfacle — seated under white waggon-tilts, or beneath the 
more elegant coverings of “ carrioles ” and “ Jerseys.” 

There is a spectacle — at least there is one looked for. It is a trial long 
talked of in tho Settlement. 

Suptirfluous to say that it is tho trial of Maurice Gerald — know as Mnu- 
rice the mnstanger. 

Equally idle to add, that it is for tho murder of Ilenry Poindexter. 

It is not the high nature of the offence that has attracted such a crowd, 
nor yet the characters of either tho accused or his victim — m ither much 
known in the neighborhood. 

The same Court — it is tho Supremo Court of the district, Uvalde — has 
been iu session there before — has tried all sorts of cases, and all kinds of 
men — thieves, swindlers, homicides, and even murden-rs — with scarce four- 
score people caring to be Bjicctators of tho trial, or staying to hear tho 
sentence I 

It is not this which has brought so many settlers together ; but a series 
of strange circumstanc<‘8. mysterious and melodramatic : which seem in 
some w.ay to be connected with the crime, and have been for days the sole 
talk of the Settlement. 

It is not necessary to name these circumstances : they are already known.. 

All present at Fort Inge have come there anticipating: that the trial 
about to take place will throw light on the strange problem that luu 
iiitherto defied solution. 


the headless houseman. 


355 





\ \ 







Of course there arc some g^rfam oihera'^inspired with a 

interest in the fate of the 5^4.6 of \\\g raM\ tuppesed to have been 

murdetlr • ffirit' rniiTirremembered, that there is yet no evu ence o i 

-S:r%ttu[;rdoubtentertah^iofjh^^ 

"'^imytnly wait to be told the details ; to learn the how. and the w en. 

and tho wherefore. ^ ^ 

• * 

« • 


Ten o’clock, and the Court is in f the crowd ; only that a 

There is not much change m the co'ni the more solx'r 

.prmklins ot militMy >rrison l.«v« 

dresses of the citizens. The soldiers h ^tion for the daj . have 

Jrom morning parade ; cS- There stand they 

souffht it among the ranks of th , riflemen, infantry, and artil- 

6ide''bv Bide-soldiers and horse dealers, and desperate nd- 

your soul 1 rw-Bon nresent who does not expect ere night to 

^ There is ^ ‘Xasc ^Uen from under the shadow of that 

listen to this terrible final phras , l fj-pow creature, 

sable cap, that denotes But there are many who feel 

There may be y ^./^'V^^^^viction ; and that ere the sun has 

rtiTeSirorrM^^ ^-k m its Godj ^ 

* 


?'ru Sr eye a urge Z 

the ot . leet«h>-r,»u, 

or tho reSding-desk in a . barristers in wigs of grey, and gown 

You see Judges in erm‘«e ^^bers, and rer^rters 

of black, with sohatore atten'^ Standing here and there: and at th 
blue iiolicemen with ^rigl always kempt or clean, 

back a sea of heads and f*^®®** “"^‘‘JV/bdued look on the countenances - 
-i: St •“ “ Oo-on., » . ro» ot .0t„0..0S 0 

Court ot)o.li« Oh tho front or. of 

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for this anfl other purposes. But the daj promises to be hot, and tlie Court 
lias d<-cid<*d to sit unifer n tree ! 

Aud^undcr a tree has it cstahlislied itself — a (yipfantic live-oak, festooned 
. with Spanish Moss— staiuliiify by the edpye of the j)arade-ground, and ex- 
j tendino its shadow afar over the verdant prairie. 

A larjyo deal table is jdaced underneath, with half a score of skin-bot- 
tomed chairs set around it, and on its top a few scattered sheets of foolscap 
paper, an inkstand with fyoose^uill pens, a well thumbed law-book or two, 
a blown-glass decanter, containing peach-brandy, a couple of tumblers, a 
box of Ilavannah cigars, and another of lucifer-matches. 

, Behind these paraphernalia sits the Judge, not only un-rob»d in ermine, 

, but actually uncoatKl — the temperature of the day having decided him to 
I try the case in his shirt sleeves ! 

Insie.ad of a wMg he wears his Panama hat, set slouchingly over one 
cheek, to balance the half-smoked, half-chewed Havannah projecting from 
1 the other. 

; The remaining chairs are occupied by men whose costume gives no in 
i dication of their calling. 

There are lawyers among them — attorneys and eounscUors, there called — 

I with no difference either in social or legal status ; the sheriff and his “dop- 

i uty ” ; the military commandant of the fort ; the chai)lain ; the doctor ; 

several ofiicers; with one or two men of undeclared occupations. 

A little apart ore twelve individuals groujied together; about half of 
them are seated on a rough slab bench, the other half “ squatted ” or reclin- 
ing along the grass. 

' It is the Jury — an “ institution ” as germane to Texas as to England, 
and in Texas ten times more true to its trust ; scorning to submit to the 
I dictation of the Judge — in England but too freely admitted, 
i Around the Texan judge and jury— close pressing upon the precincts of 
the Court — is a crowd that may well be called nondescript. Buckskin 
! hunting shirts ; blanket-coats — even under the oppressive heat ; frocks of 
" copperas strijte,” and Kentucky Jeans ; blouses of white linen, or sky- 
* blue cortowffde; shirts of red flannel or unbleached “ domestic ” ; dragoon, 
rifle, infantry, and artillery uniforms, blend and mingle in that motley as- 
semblage. 

Here and there is seen a regular costume — one more native to the country 
' — the jaquetas and eahoneros of the Mexican, with the broad sombrero shading 

his swarthy face of picaresque expression. 

Time was — and that not very long ago — when men assembled on this 
I same spot would all have been so attired. 

But then there was no jury of twelve, and the Judge — Juez de Letras — 
was a far more important personage, wdth death in his nod, and pardon 
easily obtained for those who could put ontas in his pocket. 

With all its irregularity — despite the abstmee of effete forme — of white 
ermine, and black silk, — of uniformed alguazHs. or bright-buttoned police- 
men— despite the presence of men that, to the civiliz^ eye, may appear 
uncouth — even savage — I hesitate not to say, that among these red flannel- 
shirts and coats of Kentucky jean, the innocent man is as safe — aye, far 
! safer — to obtain justice, and the guilty to get punished, than amidst the 
1 fomalities and hair-splitting chicaneries of our so called civilisation. 


THE HEADLESS HOUSEKiAN. 


851 


Do not mistake those men assembled under the Texan tree — however 
rough their exterior may seem to your hyjx;rcritical eye— do not mistake 
them r-vr a mob of your own “ masses,” brutalized from their very birth by 
the curse of over-taxation. Do not mistake them, either, for things like 
yourselves — filled to the throat with a spirit of flunkeyism — would that it 
choked you ! — scorning all that is grand and progressive — revering only 
the effete, the suix-rficial, and the selfish. 

I am talking to you, my middle-class friend, who fancy yourself a citizen 
of this our English country. A citizen, forsooth ; whiihout even the fiist 
and scantiest right of citizenship — that of clioosing your parlimentary re- 
presenlative. 

You fancy you hats this right. I have scarce patience to tell you, you 
are mistaken. 

Aye, grandly mistaken, when you imagine yourself standing on the same 
political platform with those quasi-rude frontiersmen of Texas. 

Nothing of the kind. They are "sovereign citizens” — the peers of your 
superiors, or of those who assume so to call themselves, and whose assump. 
tion you are base enough to permit without a struggle— almost without 
protest I 

In most assemblies the inner circle is the more select The gem is to be 
found in the centre at Fort Inge. 

In that now mustered the order is reversed. Outside is the elegance. 
The fair feminine forms, bedecked in their best dresses, stand up in spring 
waggons, or sit in more elegant equipages, sufficiently elevated to see 
over the heads of the male spectators 

It is not upon the judge that their eyes are bent, or only at intervale. 
The glances are given to a group of three men, placed near the jury, and 
not very far from the stem of the tree. One is seated and two are stand- 
ing. The former is the prisoner at the bar ; the latter the sheriff s oflScers 
in charge of him. 

It was originally intended to try several other men for the murder; 
Miguel Diaz and his associates, as also Phelim O’Neal. 

But in the course of a preliminary investigation the Mesican mustanger 
succeeded in proving an alibi, as did also his trio of companions. All four 
have been consequently discharged. 

They acknowledged having disguised themselves as Indians: for the 
fact being proved home to them, they could not do less. 

But they pretended it to have been a joke — a iravestie ; and as there was 
proof of tlie others being at home — and Diaz dead drunk — on the night of 
Henry Poindexter’s diappearance, their statement, satisfied those who had 
l)een entrusted with the inquiry. 

As to the Connemara man, it was not thought neceseair to put him 
upon trial. If an accomplice, he could only have acted at the instigation 
of his master ; and he might prove more serviceable in the witness-box 
than in the dock. 


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358 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


CHAPTER LXXXVII. 

A FALSE WITNESS. 

There are hut few present wlio liavc any personal acquaintance with the 
.iccuaeJ ; though there are also but a few who have never before heard hi? 
nam *. Perhai)S not any. 

(c is only of late that this has become generally known : for previous to 
the six-shot duel with Calhoun, he had no other reputation than that of an 
accomplished horse-catcher. 

All admitted him to be a fine young fellow — handsome, dashing, devot- 
ed to a fine horse, and deeming it no sin to look fondly on a lair woman 
— free of heart, as most Irishmen are, and also of speech, as will bo more 
readily believed. 

But neither his good, nor evil qualities were carried to excess. Hia 
daring rarely exhibited itself in reckless rashness ; while as rarely did his 
speech degenerate into ‘‘ small talk.” 

In his actions there was observable a certain juste milieu. His w'ords 
wore alike well-balanci.'d ; displaying, even over his cups, a reticence 
somewhat rare among his countrymen. 

No one seemed to know wh nee he came ; for what reason he had settled 
in Texas ; or why he had taken to such a queer “ trade,” as that of catching 
wild horses — a calling not deemed the most reputable. 

It seemed all ttie more strange to those who knew: that he was not 
only educated, but evidently a ” born gentleman” — a phrase, however, of 
but slight significance upon the frontiers of Texas. 

There, too, was the thing itself regardt'd with no great wonder ; where 
“ born noblemen,” both of France and the ” Faderland,” may oft bo en- 
countered seeking an honest livelihood by the sweat of their brow, 

A fig for all patents of nobitity — save those stamped by the true die of 
Nature ! 

Such is the sentiment of this far free land. 

And this sort of impress the young Irishman carries about him — blazoned 
lik(f the broad arrow. There is no one likely to mistake him for either 
fool or villain. 

And yet he stands in the presence of an assembly, called upon to regard 
him as an assassin— one who in the dead hour of night has spilled innocent 
blood, and taken away the life of a fellow-creature. 

Can the charge be true ? If so, may God have mercy on his soul I 
Some such reflection passes through the minds of the spectators, as they 
stand with eyes fixed ujion him, waiting for his trial to begin. 

Some regard him with glances of simple curiosity; others with interro- 
gation ; but most with a look that speaks of anger and revenge. 

There is one pair of eyes dwelling upon him with an expression altogeth- 
er unlike the rest — a gaze soft, but steadfast — in which fear and fondness 
seem strangely commingled. 

There are many who notice that look of the lady spectator, whose pale 
face, half hid behind the curtains of a ealetht, is too fair to escape observa- 
tion. 

There are few who can interpret it. 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


859 


But among these, is the prisoner himself ; who, observing both the lady 
and the Wk, feels a proud thrill passing through his soul, that almost com 
penaates for the humiliation he is called u|x»n to undergo. It ie enouirh to 
make him, for the time, forg^* the fearful i)o8ilion iu which he is placed 
bor the moment it is one of pleasure. He has been told of much that 
transpired during those dark oblivious hours. Ho now knows that what 
of earth be only a sweet, heavenly vision, was a (tt sweeter reality 

That woman’s face, shining dre.am-like over his couch, was the same now 
seen through the curtains of the catec/ie: and the expression upon it tolls 
lam : that aiiiong the frowning spectators ho has one friend who will be 
true to the end — even though it be death I 

***** 

The trial begins. 

■There is not much ceremony in its inception. The judge takes ofiThis 
hat, strikes a luciler-match ; and freshly ignites his cigar 

After half a dozen draws, he takes the » weed ’ from between his teeth, 
laj 8 It smoking along the table, and says, — 

Ur are assembled to try a case, the particu- 

lars of which are, 1 believe, known to all of you. A man has been murder- 
the son of one of our most respected citizens ; and the prisoner at the 
bar is accused of having committed the crime. It is my duty to direct vou 
as to the legal formalities of the trial. It is yours to decide--after hearing 
tdn!‘d*'^^““ you-whether or not the accusation be suf 

to the usual formality, » GuiUy. or not 

‘Not guilty,” is the reply, delivered in a firm but modest tone 

Cassius Calhoun, and some “ rowdies ” around him, afifect an incredulous 
unpcr* 

The judge resumes his cigar, and remains silent. 

The counsel for the State, after some introductory remarks, proceeds to 
introduce the witnesses for the prosecution. " 

First called is Franz Oberdoffer. 

After a few unimportant interrogatories about his calling and the like 

Oberdofier’s evidence coincides with the tale alrea.ly told by him how • 
on the night that young Poindexter was mi.ssed, Maurice Gerald had left 
Ills house at a late hour-after midnight. He had settled his account lio^ 
fore le^ing . and appeared to have plenty of money. It was no* often 

^ supplied with cash. He had started for 

^8 home on ^e Nueces ; or wherever it was. He had not said wheJe he 
was going. Ho was not on the most friendly terms with witness Witney 
only supposed he was going there, because his man had gone the day 
fore taking all his traps-upon a P«ck-mule-everything, «J^pt wuf ll^ 
muRtanger himself carried off on his horse. K. eacepi wuat me 

What had he carried off? 

Witness could not rememlier much in iiarticular. He was not cerUin of 


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360 


TUB HEADLESS F^ORSEMAV. 


liis having a gun. H«* rnthor believed that he had one — strapped Mexican 
fu-liion, along the side of liis saddle. 

He could speak wltli certainty of having seen pistols in the holsters, with 
a bowie-knife in the inu-^tanger’s belt, (lenild was dressed as he always 
went — in Mexican costume, and with a striped Mexican blanket. He had 
the 1 '.st over his shouldi-rs as lio rode off. The witness thought it strange 
his leaving at that late hour of the night. Still stranger that ho had told 
witness of his intention to start the next morning. 

He had been out all the early i>art of the night, but without his horse — 
which he kept in the tavern stable. He had started off immediately after 
returning. He stayed only long enough to settle his account. Ho appear- 
ed excited, and in a hurry. It was not witli drink. He filled his tinsk with 
Kirshrnwamr ; but did not drink it before leaving the hotel. Witness could 
swear to his being sober. He knew that he was excited by his manner. 
While he was saddling his horse — which he did for himself — he was all the 
time talking, as if angry. Witness dii ii’t think it was at the animal. He 
believed he had been cr<'sse<l by souiel ody. atid was angry at something 
that had happened to him, before coming hack to the hotel. Had no idea 
where Gerald had lieen to ; but heard afterwards that he had been seen go- 
ing out of the village, and down the river, in the direction of Mr. Poindex- 
ter’s plantation. He had been seen going that way often for the last three 
or four days cf his sojourn at the hotel — both by day and night — on foot as 
well as horseback — several limes both ways. 

Such are the main points of Oberdoffer’s evidence relating to the move- 
ments of the prisoner. 

He is questioned about Henry Poindexter. 

Knew the young gentleman but slightly, ns he came very seldom to the 
hotttl. He was there on tin* night when last seen. Witness was surprised 
to see him there — partly becatise he was not in the habit of coming, and 
partly on account of the lateness of the hour. 

Young Poindexter did not enter the house. Only looked inside the 
saloon ; and called witne-s to the door. 

He asked after Mr. Gerald, He too appeared sober, but excited ; and, 
up..n being told that the mustanger was gone away, became still more 
excited. Said he wished very much to si e Gerald that night ; and asked 
which way he had gone. Witness ciirecied him along the Rio Grande 
trace — thinking the mustanger had taken it. Said he knew the road, and 
w’ent off, as if intending to overtake the m ustanger. 

A few desultory questions, and Oberdoffer’s evidence is exhausted 
On the whole it is favorable to the accused ; especially the circumstance 
of Gerald’s having changed his intention as to his time of starting. His 
manner described as excited and angry, — perhaps somewhat exaggerated 
by the man who naively confesses to a grudge against him. That is 
especially unfavorable. A murmur through the court tells that it has 
made this impression. 

But why should Henry Poindexter have been excited too? Why should 
he have l)een following after Gerald in such hot haate, and at such an 
unusual hour — unusual for the young planter, both as regarded his haunts 
and habits? 

Had the order beea reversed, and Gerald inquiring about and going 


TFIE HEADLESS FFORSemAW. 


301 

after him, the c^ase w .uld have been clearer. But even then there would 
have been an absence of motive. Who can show this, to satisfy the jury ? 

Sever.il witnesses are called; but their testimony rather favors the 
reverse view. Some of them testify to the friendly feelings that existed 
m*urdo*red * pusoner and the man he stands charged with having 

CaluTcVn. '* « 

Ilis story produc-s a complete change in the character of the trial It 
not only discloses a molivo for the murder, but darkens the deed tenfoid 

declares his reluctance to make 

d!?r scene in the garden; the quarrel • the 

Hiiest •’een accompained by a 

t .rfollo^^^ by Henry ; everything hut the trui motive for 

Le kSASr; Thc« two fact. 

'The ^andalous r.;veIation causes a universal surprise— alike shared bv 
— here'in'^^m*^"^ sp-’Ctators. It exhibits itself in an unmistakable manner 
here m ominous whisperings, there in ejaculations of anger, 
l.im directed towards the man who has testified ;"but against 

him who stands before them, now presumptively charged with a double 
crime : the as^ssination of a son— the defilement of a daughter! 

A groan had been la-ard as the terrible testimony proceeded. It «yime 

rom a man of more than middle ago — of sad subduerl aspect whom all 

knew to be the father of both these unfortunates 
But the eyes of the sp. eta tors dw, II not on him. They look bovond to 

fiTef t£ aVtentSIm^ ^ 

Is she there of her own accord— bv her own free will ? ‘ 
bo runs the inquiry around, and the whispered reflections that follow it 
time allowed them speculation. Th^ hive th.^ 

Calhonn had kept his word. 


CHAPTER LXXXVIII. 

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362 


THS HEADLESS HORBEMAIT. 


but many in admiration— that secret approval which female lovelinew 
'X%r;a°Ul,erS r^e/pSon d,®.™. from .).e ros. : .look of 

; » fro. 

%'J;iroL''™n sl.e .ppoar. to tl.mk vrorthy of hor ,lt.ntioD-ho who ha. 
ia.t torankon Iho aland "ho oconpiea She look, at Calhoun, hor own couain 
— thoucli with her eyes she would kill him. 

Slerinff under the glance, he slinks back, untiUhe crowd coneeals him 

^'‘^“wher?^%^\e you, Miss Poindexter, on the night when your brother 

was last seen ?” , ,, n _ 

The question is put by the State wunsellor. 

“ At liome,— in my father’s house.” v 

•• May I ask, if on that night you went into the garden l 

*< pShaps you will bo good enough to inform the C^urt, at what hour T 
•• At the hour of midnight — if I rightly remember. 

“ Where you alone?” 

« Not all the time.” 

.. “ Part of it there was some one with you c 

“ jSn7by yo”' franknaaa. Miaa Pplndaiter, you wUl not refuM Win. 

form the Court who that person was ? ’ 

“ Certainly not.” . -j i or. 

" May I ask the name of the individual ? 

• BSefore you? h^^^ame ujiTthe' ^ound. was there not some one 
else in your company ?” 

Slnrotblng moro. TUero la a show of 
“rKlaTn o onll™; H ^S"u^a v.ry difforon. effoct-tho prlaoner at 

should rather term it— of this appointment ? 


THE HRADLRSB HORSEMAN. 


. 30.3 


he stands before you an accused criminal ! Now, Sir, I hope you are satis- 
fied ?•’ 

Not quite,” continues the prosecuting counsel, unmoved by the mur- 
murs heard around I'.im ; " I must ask you another question. Miss Pohidex- 
ter. 'I’lie course I am about to take, though a little irregular, will save tiie 
lime of the Court: and I tliink no one will object to it. You have heard 
whiii has been said by the witness who preceded you. Is it true, that your 
brother parted in anger with the prisoner at the bar ?” 

“(iuite true.” 

The answer sends a thrill through the crowd — a thrill of indignation. 
It confirms the story of Calhoun. It establishes the mo/ire of the murder 1 
The bystanders do not wait for the explanation the witness designs to 
give. There is a cry of “ Hang — hang him !” and, along with a demons- 
tration for this to be done without staying for the verdict of the jury, 

“ Order in the Court I” cries the judge, taking the cigar from between 
his teeth, and looking authoritatively around him. 

“ My brother did not follow him in anger," pursued the witness, without 
being further questioned. “ He had forgiven Mr. Gerald ; and went after 
to apologise.” 

" I have something to say about that,” interposes Calhoun, disregarding 
the irregulnrlity of the act; ” they quarrell(«d afterwarde. I heard them, 
from where I was standing on the top of the house.” 

Mr. Calhoun !” cries the judge rcbukingly : “ if the counsel for the 
procecution desire it, you can be put in the box again. Meanwhile, sir, you 
will please not interrupt the proceedings.” 

Alter a few more questions, eliciting answers explanatory of what she 
has last alleged, the lady is relieved from her embarrassing situation. 

She goes back to hor carriage with a cold heaviness at her heart : for 
she has become conscious that, by telling the truth, she has damaged the 
cause of him she intended to serve. Her own too : for in passing through 
the crowd she does not fail to perceive eyes turned upon lier, that regard 
her with an expression too closely resembling contempt I The “chivalry” 
is oflTended by her condescension ; the morality shocked by her free con- 
fession of that midnight meeting : to say nought of the envy felt for the 
bonne fortune of him who has bo n so daringly endorsed. * » * 

Calhoun isonce more called to tho stand: and by some additional perjury 
strengthens the antipathy already felt for the accused. Every word is a 
lie; but his statements appear too plausible to be fabrications. Again 
breaks forth ihe clamour of the crowd. Again is heard the cry, “Hang!" 
— this time more vociferous, more earnest, than ever. 

This time, too, the action is more violent. Men strip off their coats, and 
fling their hats into the air. The women in tho waggons — and even those 
of gentle strain in the carriages — seem to share the frenzied spite against 
the prisoner — all save that one, who sits screened behind tho curtain. She 
too shows indignation ; but from a different cause. If she trembles at tho 
commotion, it is not through fear ; but from the bitter consciousness that 
she has herself assisted in stirring it np. In this dark hour slu; remembers 
the significant speech of Calhoun ; that from her own lips were to come 
the words that would prove Maurice Gerald a murderer. 3'he clamor con- 
tinues, increasing in earnestness. There are things said aloud — insina- 


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•>04 


THE HEADLESS HOHSEUAK. 


ji ions ?pftinst the aeeiiSHd — desifjiiod to itiflamo tlio |>as.iiona of the 
l/ly : ai <t eacli moment tlie outcry prows fiercer and nioro virulent. Jiuipo 
Robert i — tlie name of him wlio jirrsides — is in peril of boinp deposeil ; to 
be 8 uc;'‘ 0 'le 1 by t!ie lawless Lynch. Ami then what must follow ? For 
Maur ce (Ji inld no more trial ; no condemnation ; for that has been done al- 
ready. No siirift neither ; but a quick execution, occupyinp only the time 
it wi 1 take half a score of exjM-rt rope-men to throw a noose around his 
nock, and jerk him iijito the limb of the live-oak siretchinp horizontally 
over lis head ? This is the thoupht of almost everybody on the pround, as 
they stand waiting for some one to say the word — some bad, bold borden r 
dfiinp enough to take the initiative. Thanks be to Uod, the spectators 
<ire not all of this mind. A few have determined on bringing the alFair to a 
different finale. There is a group of men in un’forni, seen in excited con- 
sultation. They are the officers of tl^e Fort with the command<ant in their 
midst. Only for a score of seconds does their council continue. It ends 
with the braying of a bugle. It is a signal sounded by command of the 
major. Almost at the same instant a troop of two-score dragoons, with a 
like number of mounted riflemen, is seen filing out from the stockade en- 
closure that extends rearward from the Fort. Having cleared the gateway, 
they advance ovr-r the open ground in the diri'ction «)f the live-or.k. Silent- 
ly, and as tiiongh acting under an instinct, they deploy into an alignment 
— forming three bides of a square, that partially encloses the Court I Tho 
crowd has ceased its clamoring : and stands gazing at a spectacle, which 
might be taken for a coup dc theatre. It produces not only silence, but sub- 
mission : for plainly do they jierceive its design, and that the movement is a 
Drecau'ionary measure due to tlie skill of the commanding officer of tho 
Wbt. Equally plain is it, that the presidency of Justice Lynch is no lon- 
ger !j 03 .sible ; and tiiat tho law of the land is once more in the ascendant. 

Wiiho'it further opposition Judge Roberts is permitted to resume his 
fuaclions, so rudely interrupti'd. 

*• Fellow citizens !” he cries, with a glance toward his auditory, now more 
renro.achful than appealing, ” the law is bound to take its course— just the 
same in Texas as in the States. I need not tell you that, since most of you, 
I rcckon,have seen corn growing on theother side of the Mississippi. Well, 
taking this for granted, you wouldn’t hang a man without first hearing 
whatTie had to say for himself? That would neither be law, nor justice, 
but downright murder I” 

“ And ha.sn’the done murder?” asks one of the rowdies standing near 
Calhoun. ” It’s only sarvin’ him, as he sarved young Poindexter.” 

“ There is no certainty about that. You’ve not yet heard all tho testi- 
moay. Wait till we’ve examined the witnesses on the other side. Crier!” 
continues he. turning to the official; ” call tho witnesses for the defence.” 

The ciier obeyn ; and Plielim O'Neal is conducted to the stand. Tho 
story of the Cl stable boy, confusedly told, full of incongruities— and 

in many parts altogether improbable— rather injures the chances of his 
master being thought innocent. The San Antonio counsel ie but too anxious 
for his testimony to bo cut short— having a firmer reliance on the tale to be 
told by another. Tha* other is next announced. " Zebulon Stump! ^ 
fore the voi«e of the summoning officer has censiHl to reverberate among the 
’.iranch»*8 of the live-oak, a tall stalwart spealmen of humanity is seen mak- 


the headless HOESEUAN. 


3G6 


lag his wav through the throng— whom all recognise a« Zeb Stumn th« 
mostnoted hunter of the Settlement. Taking threLrfo^rstrideSvard 
H e backwoodsman comes to a stand upon the spot siH apart for witnesses’ 
The sacred volume is presented to him in due form ; whith after re Sn!; 
the Well-known words of tho “ affidavit. ’ Zeb is directed to kiss He t^r^ 
forms tins ..p-ration with a smack sufficiently sonorous to be heard to U.e 
e!. . f*! Circle of the assemhlage. D. spite the solemnity of tho 

scene, there is an audible tittering, in&tautlv entek-'d i>v tli*. in t ^ i-..i 
by Zob him., ..If, .vbos.. 

search for some one, tnat may be seen wi;]. a sneer uLa h rtacr Tl e 
cbaracterof the man is too well known, for any one tK^suppt^ he'mi l.i 
make merry at his expense; and before his searching glanie^ c^ow.Lre! 
8UU14 8, or ufTects to resume, its composure Afr,er a f<^uT !■ 

z,.b 1, iuvi.ed ■„ «ive I'rs i fbe .Xrciru'.irr 

which lia\o been keeping tlie Settlement in a state of unwonted agitation ’ 
The spectators prick up their ears, and stand in expectant silent There 

“ Mi the key to the whole mysterV. 

\V al, Mister Judge ! says ho, looking straight in the face of that cio-ar. 
smoking functionary ; “ I ve no objection to tell what I know ’boout^h» 
bizness ; but ef it be all the same to yurself, an’ tho icwrv hvur I’lI 
that young fellur shed gie his varsiou furst. I kud then follor wi’ mine 
the which mout sartify and confirm him ” ' 

;;Of what young fellow do you speak ?” inquires the judge 
PeinTIlexter ’c'ied o’ killin' young 
It would bo somewhat irregular” reioinq tbn a o n 

ence to ceremonious forms ; and Zeb’s requeat is conceded 


CHAPTER LXXXIX 

THE CONFESSION OF THE ACCUSED. 

counsel, the accused prepares to avail him 
self of the advantage thus conceded. Directed by the ludce he stnn^' 
forward ; the shenrs officers in charge falling a step or^too^nto 
It 18 suiierfiuons to gay that there is univereal silence M T"'' 

crickets, hitherto “chirpin.r” among the urves of T a ^ 

itrst. have I to say •• that notwithstanding the many drcun.stances men- 





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tHa HKADLE88 HORSEMAN. 


tioned dvrinfy the course of this trial — my story is simple enough; and will 
explain some of them. 

“ Not all of the statements you have heard are true. Some of them ana 
false as the lips from which they have fallen.” 

The speaker’s glance, directed upon Cassius Calhoun, causes the latter 
to quail, as if standing before the muzzle of a six-shooter. 

*' It is true that I met Miss Poindexter, as stated. Tliat noble lady, bv her 
own generous confession, has saved me from the sin of perjuring inyself— 
which otherwise I might have done. In all else I entreat you to believe me. 

“ It is also true that our interview was a stolen one ; and that it was inter- 
rupted by him who is not here to speak to what occurred after. 

“ It is true that angry words passed between us, or rather from him to me ; 
for they were all on his side. 

“ But it is ml true that the quarrel was afterwards renewed ; and the 
man who has so sworn dared not say it, were I free to contradict him as he 
deserves. ” 

Again are the eyes of the accused turned towards Calhoun, still cower- 
ing behind the crowd. 

‘‘ On the contrary, ” continues he, " the next meeting between Henry 
Poindexter and myself, was one of apology on his part, and friendship, — I 
might say affection — on mine. 

“ Who could have helped liking him? As to formving him, for the few 
rash words he had. rashly spoken, 1 need hardly tell you how grateful I felt 
for the reconciliation." 

There was a reconciliation, then ? ” asks the judge, taking advantage of 
f. pause in the narration. “ Where did it take place?” 

“ About four hundred yards from the spot where the murder wat eommitted.” 

The judge starts to his feet. The jury do the same. The spectators, al- 
ready standing, show signs of a like exciting surprise. It is the first time 
!iny one has spoken positively of the spot where the murder was commit- 
ted ; or even that a murder has been committed at all ! 

•' You mean the place where some blood was found V doubtingly 
interrogates the Judge. 

” I mean the place where Henry Poindexter was assassinated.” 

There is fresh exhibition of astonishment in the Court — expressed in 
muttered speeches and low exclamations. One louder than the rest is a 
groan. It is given by Woodley Poindexter ; now for the first time made 
certain he has no longer a soul In the heart of the father still lingered 
a hope that his eon may still bo alive : that he might only be missing — 
kept out of the way by accident, illness, Indians, or some other circum- 
stance. As yet there has been no positive proof of his death— only a 
thread of circumstantial evidence, and it of the slightest. 

This hope, by the testimony of the accused himself is no longer tenable. 

'• You are sure he is dead, then?” is the question put to the prisoner by ' 
the prosecuting counsel, 

"Quite sure,” responds the accused. “Had you seen him as I did, you 
Would think the interrogatory a very idle one.” 

" You saw the body ?” 

“ I must take exception to this course of examination,” interposes tbs 
counsel for the accused. “ It is quite irregular.” 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAIT. 




•Faith! in an Owld Country court it wouldn’t be allowed,’ adds tlm 
Cis-Atlantic attorney. " The coeustd for the prosecution wouldn’t bo i)er- 
mitted to spake, till it came to the cr.ass-examination.” 

“ That’s the law here, too,” says the judge, with a severe gesturo towards 
him who had erred. " Prisoner at the bar I you can continue your story. 
Your own counsel may ask you what question he pleases ; but nobody else, 
till you have done. Oo on! Let us hear all you have to say.” 

“ I have sjxdvcn of a reconciliation,” resumes the accused, “ and have 
told you where it took place. I must explain how it came to bo there, 

“ It has been maile known to you how we parted — Miss Poindexter, her 
brother, and myself. 

“Onle.aving them I swam across the river ; partly because ’ was too ex- 
cited to caro how I went off, and partly that 1 did not wish him to ku 'W 
how I had got into the garden. I had my reasons for that. I walktxl on 
lip stream, towards the village. It was a very warm night— as may be re- 
membered l)y many of you— and my clothes had got nearly dry by the time 
I reached the hotel. 

‘‘ The house w.as still open, and the landlord b«*hind his bar ; but as up to 
that day I had no reason to thank him for any extra hospitality, and as 
titere was nothing to detain me any longer under his roof, I took it into my 
head to set out at once for the Alamo, and make the journey during the cool 
hours of the night. 

" I had sent iny servant before, and intended to follow in the morning; 
but what happened at Casa del Corvo made me desirous of g- tting away 
as soon as possible ; and I started off, after settling my account with Mr. 
Oberdoffer.” 

“ And the money with which you paid him ?” asks the State prosecutor, 
“ where did you get it ?” 

*• I protest against this 1” interrupts tlie counsel for the accused, 

“ Bedarrah !'' exclaims the MUe.sian lawyer, looking daggers, or rather 
ducUtny pistols, at the State counsellor ; “ if yez were to go on at that rate in 
K Galway assize, ye’d stand a nate chance of gettin’ conthradicted in a dif- 
ferent style altogether !” 

"Silence, gentlemen!” commands the judge, in an authoritative tone. 
“ Let the accused continue hie statement.” 

" 1 travelled slowly. There was no reason for being in a hurry. I was 
ill no mood for going to sleep that night; and it mattered little to me 
where I should spend it — on the prairie, or under the roof of mjjaeale. I 
knew I could reach the Alamo before daybreak ; and that would be as soon 
ns I desired. 

“ 1 never thought of looking behind me. I had no suspicion that any 
one was coming after ; until I had got about half a mile into the chapparal 
— where the Itio Grande trace runs through it. 

“ Then 1 heard the stroke of a horse’s hoof, that appeared hurrying up be- 
hind. 

“ I got round the comer — where the trace makes a sharp tnm — and was 
hindered from seeing the horsemnn. But 1 could tell that he was coming 
on a trot. 

" It might be somebody 1 wouldn’t care to encounter ? 

“ That was the refiection I made ; though I wasn’t much caring who. It 





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TfIK FTEADLESS HOR81MAN'. 


3^58 

was more from habit — by livin^j in the nei^thb-jrhood of the InditM— that 
I drew in among the trees, and waited until the stranger should sliow him- 
self. 

“ He did so shortly after. 

“ You m»y judge of my surprise when, instead of a stranger, I saw the 
man from whom I had m) lately parted in anger. When 1 say auger, I 
don’t speak of myself— only him. 

" Was he still in the same temper? Had he been only restrained by the 
presence of his sister from attacking me ? Relieved of this, had he come 
after me to demand satisfaction for the injury he supposed her to have sus- 
tained. 

“ Gentlemen of the jury ! I shall not deny, that this was the impression 
on my mind when I saw who it was. 

*• I was determined there should be no concealment — no cowardly shrink- 
ing on my part. I was not conscious of having comndtled crime. True I 
had met his sister clandestinely ; but that was the fault of others — not 
mine — not hers. L loved her with a pure honest passion, and with my 
whole heart. I am not afraid to conhiss it. In the same way I love her 
still !” 

Louise Poindexter, seated in her carriage behind the outer circle of spec 
tators, is not so distant from the speaker, nor are the curtains so closely- 
drawn, but that she can hear every word passing from his lips. Despite 
the sadness of her heart, a gleam of joy irradiates her countenance, as she 
listens to the daring declaration. It is but the echo of her own ; and the 
glow ihat comes qnickly to her cheeks is not shame, but the expn'ssion of 
a proud triumph. She makes no attetnpt to conceal it. Rather does she 
appear ready to spring up from her seat, rush toward the man who is being 
tried for the murder of her brother, and with the abandon that love alone 
can impart, bid defiance to the boldest of his accusers ! If the signs of 
sorrow soon reappear, they are no longer to be traced to jealousy. Those 
sweet ravings are well remembered, and can now be trusted as truth. They 
are confirnied by the confession of restored reason— by the avowal of a 
man who may be standing on the stoup of death, and who can have no 
earthly motive for a deception such as that ! 


CHAPTER XC. 

▲ COtfRT QUICKLY CLEABKD. 

Ig the last speech has given satisfaction to Louise Poindexter, there are 
few who share it with her. Upon most of tlu( spectators it has produced 
on impression of a to’allv diifi n r.t chanicter. It isone of the saddest traits 
of our ignoble nature ; to feel pain in contemplating a love we cannot share 
—more esiiecially win n exhibited in the shape of a grand absorbing jiassion. 
The tiling is not so difficult of explanation. Wo know that be, or she 
thus sweetly possessed, can feel no interest in ourselves. It is Imt the old 
itorv of self-esteem, stung by the thought of indifference. Even some of 
the speclatois unaffected by the cliarnis of the beautiful Creole, cannot nr 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 




Strain tliemselve# from a certain feeling of envy ; while others more de« j;- 
ly interested feel chagriiieil to the liearl’s core, by what tlu-y are p'ensed to 
designate an impudent avowal. If the story of the accused contains no 
better proofs of bis innocence it were better untold. So far, it has but help- 
ed his accusers by exciting the antipathy of those who would have been 
otherwise neutral. Once more there is a murmuring among the men. and 
a movement among the rowdies who stand near Calhoun. Again scem.s 
Maurice Gerald in danger of being seized by a lawless mob, and banged 
without further hearing! The danger exists only in seeming. Once uioro 
the major glances significantly towards his well-trained troop - the judge in 
an authoritative voice commands “ Silence in the Court !” the clamouring 
is suhd aed ; and the prisoner is permitted to proceed. He continues his 
recital : — 

“ On teeing who it was, I rode out from among the trees, and reined up 
before h m. 

“ Theie w-as light enough for him to see w’ho I was : and ho at once re- 
cognized me. 

“ Inste id of the angry scene I expected — perhaps had reason to expect — 
I was jo; fully surprised by his reception of me. His first ivords were to 
ask if I \.'ould forgive him for what he had said to me — at the same timo 
holding cut his hand in the most frank and friendly manner. 

“ Need I tell you that I took that hand ? O how heartily I pressed it ? 
I knew it to be a true one ; more than that, I bad a hope it might one day 
be the band of a brother. 

“ It was the last time, but one, I ever grasped it alive. The last was 
sborfly after — when we bade each other good night, and parted upon the 
path. I had no thought it was to be lor ever. 

“ Gentlemen of the jury ! you do not wish me to take up your timo with 
the conversation that occurred between us ? It was upon matters that havo 
nothing to do with this trial. 

"We rode together for a short distance: and then drew up under the 
shadow of a tree. 

“ Cigars were exchanged, and smoked : and there was another exchange 
— the more closely to cement the good understanding established between 
U8. It consisted of our bats and cloaks. 

“ It was a whim of the moment suggested by myself — from a fashion 1 
had liecn accustomed to among the Comanches. 1 gave Henry Poindexter 
my Mexican sombrero and striped blanket — taking bis cloth coat and Pa- 
nama hat. 

“ We then parted — he riding away, mysel remaini-.jj. 

“ I can give no reason why I stayed upon the spot : unless that I liked it, 
from being the scene of our reconciliation — by me so little looked for and so 
much desired. 

“ I no longer cared for going on to the Alamo that night. I was happj- 
enough to stay under the tree ; and, dismounting, I staked out my horse ; 
wrapped myself up in the cloak; and with the hat upon my head, lay 
down upon the grass. 

“ In three seconds I was asleep. 

" It was rare for sleep to come on me so readily. Half an hour before, 
and the thing would have been impossible. I can only account for the 




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S70 


THE HEADLEBS HOKSEMAV. 


caanpe by tbe feelinfij of contentment that was upon me — after the unplcaa 
ant excitement tlirou^jh which I had passed. 

“ My slumbers could not have been very sound ; nor were they long un- 
disturbed. 

“ I could not he.ve been unconscious for more than two minutes, when a 
sound awoke me. It was the report of a (fun. 

“ I was not sure of it bein(f this. I only fancied that it was. 

“ My horse seemed to know better than I. As I looked up, he was stand- 
iiijf with ears erect, snoriin;;, as if he had boon fired at I 

" I spranjf to my feet and stood listening. 

“ But as I could licar nothing more, and the mustang soon quieted down, 
I came to the conclusion that we had both been mistaken. The horse had 
heard the footsteps of some straying animal ; and that which struck upon 
my ear might have been the snapping of a branch broken by its passage 
through the thicket ; or perhaps one of the many mysterious sounds — mys- 
terious, because unexplained — often heard in the recesses of the chapparal. 

Dismissing the thing from my mind, I again lay down along the grass ; 
and once more fell ".sleep. 

“ This lime I was not awake<l until the raw air of the morning began to 
chill me through the cloak. 

“It was not pleasant to stay longer under the tree ; and, recovering my 
horse, was about to continue my journey. 

" But the shot seemed still ringing in my ears— even louder than I had 
heard it while half asleep I 

“It appeared, too, to be in the direction in which Henry Poindexter had 
gone. 

" Fancy or no fancy, I could not help connecting it with him ; nor yet re- 
sist the temptation to go back that way and seek for an explanation of it. 

I did not go far till I found it. Oh, heavens 1 What a sight 1 

“ I saw ” 

“ T/ie Headless Horseman ” exclaimed a voice from the outer circle of the 
spectators, causing one and all to turn suddenly in that direction. 

" TTic Hewlless Horseman ! ” responded fifty others, in a simultaneous 
shout. 

Is it mockery, this seeming contempt of court ? There is one who takes 
it in this sense ; for by this time every individual in the assemblage has 
l)ecomo acquainted with the cause of the interruption. It is the Headless 
Horseman himself, seen out on the open plain, in all his fearful shape! 
Yonder he goes — yonder! yonder! ” 

“ No, he’s coming this way ! See ! He’s making straight for the Fort !’’ 

The latest assertion seems the truer ; but only for an instant. As if to 
contradict it. the strange equestrian makes a sudden pause upon the prairie, 
and stands eyeing the crowd gathered around the tree. Then, not appar- 
ently, liking the looks of what is before him, the horse (^ves utterance 
to his dislike with a loud snort, followed by a still louder neighing. The 
intorest excited by the confession of the accused is for the time eclipsed. 

There '.J a universal impression that, in the spectral form thus oppor- 
tunely presenting itself, will be found the explanation of all that lias 
occurred. Three-fourths of the spectators forsake the spot, and rush 
towards their horsee. Even the jurymen are not exempt from taking part 


TITE nEADEESS HORSF.MAV. 


371 


In the -general dehandade; and at least six out of the twelve go scattering 
off to join in the cliase of the Headless Horseman.' 

The latter has paused only for an instant — just long enough to scan the 
crowd of men and horses moving towards him. Then, repeating hie wild 
“ whigher, ’’ he wheels around and goes off at full speed — followed by a 
thick clump of shouting pursuers ! 


CHAPTER XCl. 

A CHASE THROCOn A THICKET. 

The chaso leads straight across the prairie — towards the tract of chapparal, 
ten miles distant. Before reaching it, the ru'-k of riders becomes thinned 
to a strangling line— one, after another falling off— ns their hors< s became 
blown by the long sweltering gallop. But few get within sight of 
tho thicket ; and only two enter it, in anything like close proximity to tho 
escaping horseman ; who, without making halt, plunges into the tim^r. 
The pursiier nearest, him is mounted uiwn a grey mustang ; which is being 
urged to its utmost speod by whin, spur, and voice. The one exuning after 
—but with a long interval between— is a tall man in a slouched hat and 
blanket coat, bestriding a raw-boned roadster, that no one would suspect 
capable of such sju'cil. It is procured not by whip, spur and voice ; but by 
th(! more cruel prompting of a knife-blade held in the riders hand, and at 
interv.als sihn’lv applied to the animal’s spine, just behind the croup. 
The two men thus leading tho chase, are Ca.ssiu8 Calhoun and Zi-b Stump. 
Tho swiftness of the grey mustang has given Calhoun the advantage ; 
aided by a determination to 1 k) in at the death — as if some despv^rate neces- 
sity required it. 'Tlio old hunter appears equally determined. Instead of 
being contented to proceed at his usual gait, and trusting to his skill as a 
tracker, he seen)S aiming to keep the other in sight- as if a like stem ne- 
cessity was prompting him to do so. In a short time both have entered 
tlie chapparel, and are lost to the eyes of those riding less resolutely be- 
hind. On through tho thicket rush the three horsemen : not in a straight 
line, but along the lists and cattle-tracks — now direct, now in sweeping 
curves, now sharply zigzagging to avoid the obstructions of the timl>er. 
On go they, reirardless of bush or brake — fearlessly buffetted by tho sharp 
spines of the cactus, and tho stinging thorns of the mezquites. 

The branches snap and crackle, ns they cleave their way b'-tween : while 
tho birds, scared by the rude intrusion, fly screaming to some safer roost. 
A brace of bl.ick vultures, who had risen with a croak from their perch up- 
on a scathed branch, soar up into the air. Instinct tells them, that a pur- 
suit so impetuous can end only in death. On broad shadowy wings they 
keep pace with it. It is now a chas»o in which the. pursued has the advan- 
tage of tho pursuers. He can c'nooso his path; while they have no 
choice but to follow him. Less from having increased tho disUnce, than 
from the intei position of the trees, he is soon out of sight of both ; as each 
is of the other. No ouo of the three can see either of the other two ; though 
all are under the eyes of the 'mltures. Out of »ght of his pursuers, ik* 


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THE IIEADLESS HOUSEMAN. 






ad vantapje of tbo parsued ia groaler tlmn ever. He is free to keep on at full 
speed ; while they ir u-t submit to tho delay of riding along a trail. He 
Can still be followed by the sound of his hoofsirokes ahead, and the swish- 
ing of the branches jis he breaks through between them ; but for all that 
the foremost of his tvo) j'ursuers l)egins to despair. At each turning of tho 
track, he appears to have gained distance ; until at length bis footfall ceusea 
to be heard. 

“ Curse the d d thing!” cries Calhoun, with a gesture of chagrin. 

“ It’s going to escape me a;.'nin 1 Not so much matter if there were nobody 
affer it but myself. But there is this time. That old hell-hound’s coming 
on through tho thicket. I saw him as I enter d it — not three hundred yards 
behind me. 

*• Is thert no chance of shaking him off ? No. He’s too good a tracker 
for that. 

*■’ By Q — d ! but there is a chance !” 

At the profane utterance, the siicaker reins up ; wrenches his horse half 
round ; and scans the path over which he has just passed. He examines it 
with the look of one who has conceived a scheme, and is reconnoitring ihe 
terrain, to sec if it will suit. At the same time, his fingers close nervously 
around his rifle, which he manipulates with a feverish impatience. Still is 
there irresolution in his looks ; and he hesitates about throwing himself 
into a fixed attitude. On reflection the scheme is abandoned. 

“ It won’t do !” he mutters. " There’s too many of them fellows coming 
after — some that can track, too. They’d find his carcase, sure — maybe hear 
tho shot? 

- “ No— no. It won’t do!” 

He stays a while longer, listening. There is no sound heard either be- 
foro or behind — only that overhead made by the soft waving of the vultur- 
ino wings. Strange the birds should keep above him ! 

" Yes — he must be coming on. D n the crooked luck, that the others 

should be so close after him ! But for th.it it would have been just the time 
to put an end to his spying on me ! And so easy, too !” 

Not so easy as you think, Captain Calhoun ; and the birds above — were 
they gifted with the power of speech — could tell you so. 

They see Z<;b Stump coming on ; but in a fashion to frustrate any scheme 
for his assa.ssination. It ia this that hinders him from lieing heard. 

“ I’ll be in luck if he should lose the trail !” reflects Calhoun, once more 
turning away. “ In any case, I must keep on till it’s lost to me : else some 
of those fools may be more fortunate. 

“ What a fool I’ve been in wasting so much time. If I don’t look sharp, 
the old hound will be up with me; and then it would be no use if I get tho 
chance of a shot. H — 1! that would bo worse than all I” 

Freshly spurring the grey mustang, he rides forward — fast &» the circuit- 
ou.-itrue.i will allow him. • 

'Pwo hundred paces further on, and ho again comes to a halt — surpriso 
and pleasure simultaneously lighting up his countenance. The Headier-* 
Horseman is in sight, at less than twenty paces' distance I He is not ad- 
vancing either ; b*it st.anding among sonte low l)ushe8 that rise only to the 
flaps of the saddle. His hor.-<e’.s head is down. The animal appears to l;o 
browsing upon the beanpods of the mezquites. At first sight, so thinks 


TtiK IIKADLES3 ItOliSKMAH. 


373 


Calhoun His rifle is carried ns quickly to his shoulder, and as 
hrouffht down again. The horse he intends firing at is no longer at rest, 
nS i5 he browsS; upon the beans. I* has become engaged m a sort of 
Jpasmodic struggle— with his head half buried among the bushes 1 Callrn^ 
seesTh at ft is hdd there, and by the bridle-rein-lhat dragged over the i^t^^ 
mel of the saddle, has become entangled around the stem of a mezquiie. 
“csJght at last ! Thank God-thank God !” He can ^arce restrain him- 
self from raising a shout of triumph, as he spurs forward to the spot H-. 
ia only withheld by the fear of being heard from behind. In another in- 
Sant he is by the side of tho Headless Ilorseman-that spectral suapi ho 
has so long vainly pursued ! 


CHAPTER XCII. 

A KELOCTANT RETUIIN. 

Calhoun clutches at the trailing bridle. The horse tries to avoid hi^ 
b^fSlmot Jit head is secured by the tang.od rein; -nd ho c^n only 
bound about in a circle, of which his nose is '''« f 
no heed, nor makes any attempt to elude 

in the saddle leaving the horse to continue his cavotiugs. After a uru i 

It if. middenlv checked, and by a thought. He has not jet tully accom 
ihshed his purpose. What is this purpose? Itis a secret ^ ° 

himself; and the stealthy glance cast ground t s t ;»t he as no wmh o 

aS V * ti" "“be neadteJ 

''%rp“.h.?7al“.Tcri« the hupte, riding on, from .bo und.rwood and 
advancimr rapidlv through the low bushes ; “ stop it. durn ye ! 

“ VVhaf game ? ” rJjoins the ex-offleer with a dismayeil look, at the same 

time stealthily returning his knife to its bv the 

•• What ibo’devil are yon miking about f Tb.. '"“"■'J' V, 
bridle. I .rao altaid bo niiglit got array again. I »ao going to cut liio 

terXry?wU"^lureck.n tbur’. no need to mi. .to 
criut?; tWt. Wo’kin rkcwor U ’itbont tUet Kirt o' bloody bimio... I. 
air the boss’s throat ye mean, I s pose ? 

:: ?n iTrS/ TsTuJ'he rn’.’someh’ys’ dud thet for Idm arready-./it 3. 

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TilS HEADLSS8 1IUK8KMAN. 


good look at it. I’vo just this minute come up. Byheareut” he ooiv 
tinue<i, feigninjf a grand surprise, “ I believe it’s the body of a man: and 
dead ! ’’ 

“ Thet last air probibhlo enuf. Thar’s none under the blanket, is thar T 

'• No ; I think not. There cannot be? ’* 

“ Lift it a leetle, an’ see.” 

I ” 1 don t like touching it. It’s such a cursed queer-looking thing.” 

; “ Duru it, ye wan’t so partickler a minnit ago.” 

! “ Ah ! ” stammers Calhoun, •* I was excited with chasing it. I’d got an 

gry at the d d thing, and was determined to put an end to its capers.” 

” Never mind then, ” interposes Zeb, “ I’ll make a inspecsun o’ it. Ye— 
es,” ht continues, riding nearer and keejiing his eyes 6xed uism the strange 
shajie : •• Ye — es, it’s the body o’ a man, an' no mistake I Dead as a buck 
an’ stiT as a haunch o’ ven’son in hard frost !” ’ 

i “ IJullo! ” he exclaims on raising the skirt of the serape, “it’s the b<xly 
j o’ the man whose murder’s bein tried — yur own cousin — young Poindexter I 
It is, by the Eturnal (if)d ! ” 

' “ 1 believe you are right. By heaven it is he I ” 

; “Geehosophatl ” prooieds Zeb, after counterfeiting surprise at the dis- 
^ covery, “ this air the mysterious.-st thing o’ all. Wal ; I reck’n thur's no 
; use our staying hyur to spek’late upon it. Bessest thing we kin do’s to 
^ take the body back, jest as it’s sot in the seddle— which it ajipears putty 
; firm. I know the hoss too ; an’ I reck’n wh(« he smells my ole maar abit, 

' he’ll cum along ’ithout much cfiaxin’. Gee up, ole gurl I an’ make yurself 
know d to him. riiur now ! Don't ye see it’s a preevious acquaintance o’ 

; youm ; though sarting the poor critter appiears to hev hed rough usage o’ 

> late ; an’ ye mout well be excused for not recogniT'n’ him. 'T air some 
j time since he’s hed a curry to his skin.” 

j While the hunter is speaking, the horse bestridden by the dead body, 

. and the old mare, place their snouts in contact — then withdraw them with 
a sniff of recognition. 

1 tliort BO,” exclaims Zeb, faking hold of the strayed bridle and detach. 

I ing It from the mezquite ; “ the stellyun’s boun to lead quietly enuf— so long 
] as he’s in kumpny with tbe’maar. ’T’all events, iwon’t be needcessary to cut 
, his throat to keep him from running’ away. Now, Mister Calhoon ”'he con- 
tinues, glancing stealthily at the other, to witness the effect pnxluced by 
his speeches ; “don’t ye think we’d better start right away ? The trial may 
I still be goin’ on ; an’, ef so, we may be wanted to take apart in it. I reck’n 
that we’ve got a witness hyur, as ’ll do somethin’ torst illoocidatin’ the 
case— ey ther to the bangin’ the mowstanger, or, what air more likely clurr- 
' rin’ him althegither o’ the charge. Wal, air ye riddy to take the back 
’iraci?” 

“ Oh, certainly. As you say, there’s no reason for onr remaining here.” 
Zeb moves off first, leading the captive alongside of him. The latter 
makes no resistance ; but rather seems satisfied at l)eing conducted in com- 
rany. Calhoun rides slowly— a close observer might say reluctantly— in 
the roar. At a point where the path angles abruptly round a clump of trees, 
he reins up, and appears to consider whether he should go on, or gallop back.’ 
Bis countenance betrays terrible agitation. Zeb Stump admonished by the 
interrupted footfall, becomes aware that his travelling companion lias 


THE HEADLESS HORSKMAK. 


375 


stopped. He pulls up his mare : and facing round, regards the loiterer with 
a look of interrogation. Ho observes the agitated air, and perfectly com- 
prehends its cause. Without saying a word, he lowers his long rifle from 
its rest upon hio left shoulder : lays it across the hollow of his arm, ready 
at an instant’s notice to be carried to his ch<*ek. In this attitude he sits eye- 
ing the ex-captain of cavalry. Tliere is no remark made. None is nee<h'd. 
Zeb’s gesture is sufficient. It plainly says: — “Go liack if ye dare I” The 
latter, wiiliout appearing to notice it, takes the hint ; and moves silently on. 
But no longer is he permitted to ride in the rear. Without saying it, the old 
hunter has grown suspicious, and makes an excuse for keeping liebiml — 
with which his eomp'tynon du vtynye is compelled to put up. 'flie cavalcade 
advances slowly tlirougb the cbapparal. It approaches the ojH*n prairie. 
At length the sky line comes in sight. Something seen ujam the distant 
horizon a])pears to impress Calhoun with a fresh feeling of fear; and, 
once more reining up, he sits considering. Dread is the alternative that 
occupies his mind. Shall he ])lunge lack into the thicket, and hide him- 
self from ihe oy*-8 of men? Or go on and brave the dark storm that is fast 
gathering around him? He would give all he owns in flie world — all that 
he ever hojtes to own — even Louise Poindexter herself — tol erelieved of the 
hated presence of Zeb Stumj^r— tobe left for ten minutes alone with the 
Headless Horseman I It is not to be. The sleuth-hound, that has followed 
him thus far, seems more than ever inexorable. Though loth to believe it, 
instinct tells him : that the old hunter regards Aim as the real captive, and 
any attempt on his part to steal away, will but end in his receiving a bullet 
in the back I 

After all, what can Stb Stump say, or do? There is no certainty that 
the backwoodsman knows anything of the circumstance that is troubling 
him? 

And after all, t’uero may be nothing to be known? 

It is evident that Zeb is suspicious. But what of that? Only the friend- 
less need fear suspicion ; and the ex-offic. r ;s not one of these. Unless the 
little tell-tale be discovered, he has notliiug to fear; and wliat chance of its 
being discovered ? One against ten. In all likelihood it staye<l not where 
it was sent, but was lost in the secret recesses of the chapparal ? 

Influenced by tlis hope, Calhoun regains courage; and with an air - fin- 
difference, more assumed than zeal, he rides out into the opeu prairie — close 
followed by Zeb Stump on his critter— the dead body of Heniy Poindexter 
bringing up the rear I 


CHAPTER XCIII. 

A BODY BEHEADED. 

FoBfiAKKN by two-thirds of its spectators — abandoned by one-half of the 
Jury- the trial taking place under the tree is of ne^'ssity interrupti*d. 
There is no adjournment of the Court— only an interregnum, unavoidable, 
and therefore tacitly agreed to. The interlude occupies about an hour; 
during which the judge smokes a couple of cigars; takes abeut twice that 









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376 


THB HEADLESS H0R9RMAN. 


lunuber of drinks from the bottle of peacb brandy; chats familiarly witk 
the counsel, the fragment of the jury, aud such spectators as. not having 
horses, or caring to give them a gallop, have stayed by the tree. There is 
no diiHculty in finding a subject of conversation. That is furnished by the 
incident that has just transpired— strange enough to be talked about not 
only for an hour, but an ago. The spectators converse of it, while with ex- 
cited feelings they await the return of those who have started on thecUase. 
They are in hopes that the Headless Horseman will be captured. They 
l)elieve that his capture will not only supjdy a clue to the mystery of his 
beiii'^, but will also throw light on that of the murder. There is one 
ainonJr them who could explain the first— though ignorant of the last. 
The awused could do this ; and will, when called upon to continue his con- 
fession. Under the direction of the judge, and by the advice of his coun- 
sel, ho is for the time preserving silence. 

After awhile the pursuers return, not all together, but in straggling 
squads— as they have despairingly abandoned the pursuit. All bring back 
tli6 *8aiue story. Non© ot tbcin lias beon ncaronouub to tbc Headlsss rider 
to add one iota to what is air. ady known of him. His entity remains my- 
thical as ever! It is soon discovered that two who started in the chase 
have not reappeared. They are tho old hunter and the ex captain of volun- 
teers The latter has been last seen heading the field, the former following 
not far behind him. No one saw either oi them afterward. Are they still 
continuing on ? Perhaps they may have been succesful? All eyea turn to- 
wards the pra’rie, and scan it with inquiring glances. There is an expecta- 
tion that the missing men may be seen on their way back — with a hope 
ihat the Headle»« Horseman may bo along with them. An hour elapses, 
and there is no sign of them— either with or without the wished-for cap- 
tive. Is the trial to be further postponed ? The counsel for the prosecution 
urges its continuance; while he for the accused is equally desirous of its 
being delayed. The latter moves rn adjournment till to-morrow : his plea 
the absence of an important witness in the person of Zeb Stump, who has 
not yet been examined. There are voices that clamour for the case to be 
completed There are paid claquers in the crowd comjiosing a Texan Court 
as in tho pit of a Parisian theatre. The real tragedy has Us sup^rters, as 
well as the sham I The clamourers succeed in carrying their point It is 
decided to go on with the trial— as much of it as can be got through with- 
out ths witness who is absent. He may be back before the time comes for 
callin'^ him. If not. the Court can then talk about adjournment. So rules 
the judge ; and tho jury signify their assent. The spectators do the same. 
The prisoner is once more directed to stand up, and continue the coufessiou 
so unexpectedly interrupted. 



» You were about to tell us what you saw," procee^ the counsel for the 
accused, addressing himself to his client. “ Go on. and complete your state- 
ment. What was it you saw ? ” 

” A man lying at full length upon the griM 

“ Asleep V’ 

" Yes ; in the sleep of death. 

-Dead?” 


THE nEADLESS nORSEMAM. 


371 

" More than dead ; if that were possible. On bending over him, I saw that 
ho had been beheaded ! ” 

“ What ! His hea<l cut off?” 

“Just so. I did not know it, till I knelt down beside him. He was 
upon his lace — with the head in its natural position. Even the hat was 
still on it t 

“ I was in hopes he might be asleep ; though I had a presentiment there 
was something amiss. The arms were extended too stiffly for a sleeping 
man. So wer • the legs. Besides, there was something red upon the grass, 
that in the dim light I had not at first seen. 

" As I stooped low to look at it, I perceived a strange o3our — the salt 
smell that proceeds from human blood. 

“ I no longer doubted that it was a dead body I was bending over : and 
I set about examining it. 

" I saw there was a gash at the back of the neck, filled with red, half- 
coagulated blood. I saw that the head was severed from the shoulders I” 

A sensation of horror runs through the auditory — accompanied by the 
oaclamatory cries heard on such occasions. 

“ Did you know the man ?’’ 

“ Alas I yes.” 

*• Without seeing his face ?” 

“ It did not need tliat. The dress told who it was- too truly.” 

" What dress f ’ 

“ Tho striped blanket covering his shoulders and the ha‘; upon his head. 
They were my own. But for the excliange we had mads I might hare 
fancied it was myself. It was Henry Poindexter.” 

A groan is again heard — rising above the hum of the excited hearers. 

“ Proceed, sir I” directs the examining counsel. “ State what other cir- 
cumstances came under your observation.” 

“ On touching the body I found it cold and stiff. I con'd see that it had 
been dead for some length of time. The blood was frozen nearly dry, and 
had turned black. At least, so it appeared in the grey light : for the sun 
was not yet up. 

“ I might have mistaken the cause of death, and supposed it to have been 
by the beheading. But, remembering the shot I had heard in the night, it 
occurred to me that another wound would be found somewhere— in addition 
to that made by the knife. 

“ It proved that I was right. On turning the body breast upward. I per- 
ceived a hole in the scrape : that all around the place was saturated with 
blood. 

“ On lifting it up, and looking underneath, I saw a livid spot just over 
the breast-bone. I could tell that a bullet had eoten-d there ; and as there 
was no corresponding wound at the back, I knew it must bo still inside 
the body.” 

" In your opinion, was the shot sufficient to have caused death, without 
the multilation that, you think, must have been done afterwards?" 

“ Most certainly it was. If not instantaneous, in a few minutes — perhaps 
peconds- .” 

**Tha head was cut off, you say. Was it quite sererod from the bod/ 7” 






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Tun riKADLERS HORSEMAN. 




“Qnitc; tlionjrh it was hing close up — na if neither head nor body had 
moved after the dismeml)erment.” 

“ Was it a clear cut — as if done bv a sharp-edged weapon?” 

“It was.” 

“What sort of weapon would you say?” 

“ It looked like tiie cut of a broad axe ; but it might have been done with a 
oowio-knifc one heavily weighted at the back of the blade.” 

“ Di<l you notire whether repeated strokes had been given? Or had the 
severance been efl'eeled l)y a single cut?” 

“There might have been more than one. But there was no appearance of 
chopjiiug. The first cut was a slash ; and must have gone nearly if not quite, 
through. It was made from the back of the neck; and at right angles to the 
spine. From tltat I know that the poor fellow must have been down on his face 
when the st.oke was delivered.” 

“ Had you any suspicion why or by whom, the foul deed had been done?” 

“ Not then, not the slightest. I was so horrified, I could not reflect. I could 
scjirco think it real. 

“ When I became calmer, and saw for certain that a murder had been com- 
mitted, I couhl only account for it, by supposing that thera had been Com- 
anebes ujwn the ground, and tliat, meeting young Poindexter, they had killed 
him out out of sheer wantones.s. 

“Hut then there was his sc Ip untouched — even the hat still upon his head !' 

“You changed your mind abuut it l>eing Indians?” 

“ I did.” 

“Who (lid youthen think it might he?” 

“At the time I did not think of .any one. I had never heard of Henry 
Poindexter having an enemy — either here or elsewhere. I have sinec had my 
sasjiicions. 1 liavo tliem now.” 

“State them.” 

“ I object to the line of examination, ’’ interposed the prosecuting counsel; 

Wo (b n’t want to l>c make acquaint- d with the jirisoner’u suspicions. Surely 
it is sufficient if he lie allowed to proceed with his vi^ p/aueibfe tale t” 

“Let him proceed, then,” directs the judge, igniting a fresh Havanah. 

“State how you yourself acted, ” pursues tho examiner. “ What did you do 
' after making the obsen-ations you have dc.scril)ed ?” 

“For some time I scarce knew what to do — I was so perplexed by what I 
Siiw iKJfidc me. I felt eonvinced that it had been a murder ; and equally so 
that it had liccn done by the shot — the same I had heard. 

“But who could have fired it? Not Indian.s. Of that I felt sure. 

“I thought of some prniiie-jnrnte, who might have intended plunder. But 
this was cquallv improbable. My Mexican blanket was worth a hundred 
dollars. That would liave been taken. It was not, nor anything else that 
Poindexter had carried about him. Nothing aiipcarcd to have been touchctl. 
Even the watch was still in, his wai.stcoat ixxrket, with tho chain around his 
neck glistening through the gore that had spurted over it! 

“I came to the conclusion ; that the deed mu-st have been done for the satis- 
faction of some s|)ite or revenge ; and 1 tried to remember whether I had ever 
heard of any one having a quarrel witii young Poindexter, or a grudge against 
kiiQ. 

“ I never had. 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


379 


“Besides, why h.ad the head been cut off? 

“It was that filled me with astonishment — with horror. 

“Without attempting to explain it, I bethought me of what was best to be 
done. 

“To stay by tho dead body could servo no purpose. To bury it would have 
been equally idle. 

“Then I thought of galloping liack to the Fort, and getting assistance to 
carry it to Ca.sa del Corvo 

“ But if I left it in the chapparal, the coyotes might discover it ; and lioth 
they and the buzzards would beat it before wo could get back. Alrc.-idv the 
Vultures were above— taking their early flight. They apjieared to have esjiicd 

“ Alutilated as was tho young man’s form, I could not think of leaving it, to 
bo made still more so. I thought of tho tender eyes that must soon behold it 
—in tears. 


CHAPTER XCIV. 

THE MYSTERY MADE CLEAR. 

The accused paused in his recital. No one offers any observation— either to 
interrupt, or hurry him on. 

c ^ ^ reluctance to disiurl* tho chain of a narrative, all knew to lie nn- 

finimcd; and every link of which has been binding them to a closer and more 
earnest attontion. ° 

.Iiidge, jury, and spectators remain hre.athlessly silent; while their eyes- 
unny with mouths agape — nro attentively turned upon tho prisoner. 

Amidst solemn stillness hois permitted to proceed. 

“ My next idea was to cover the body with the do.ak— as well as the scrape 
.- I I around the shouldeia. By so doing it would bo protected from both wolves 
ami buzzards — at least till wo could get back to fetch it away. 

“I had tjiken off the cloak for this purpose; when a diffenint plan suggested > 
it'Clf— one that appeared in every way licttcr. ^ 

“ Instead of returning to the Fort alone, I should take tho body along with 
me. I fancied I could do this, by laying it across the croup, and lashing it to 
tiKj saddle with my lazo. ^ 

“I led my hoi^ up to the spot, and was preparing to put the body upon him 
when I perceived that there was another horse upon tho ground. It was that 
lately ridden by him who was now no more. 

• near by, browsing upon tho grass— as tranquilly as if noth- 
ing had happened to disturb it i j “ 

in-ound. I had no difficulty in catching hold 
getting the horso to stand sUll— especially when 
brought alongside what lay upon tho ground. ^ 

tn ‘»ie riNus belween my teeth, I lifted tho body up, and endeavored 

to place it crosswise in tho saddle. 

‘‘ I in getUng it there, but it would not remain. It was too stiff 
to bend over, and there was no way to steady it. 





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TTTR HEA0LE8A HOItSEMAn. 




‘ Besides the horse beenme greatly excited, at siglit of the strange load be 
was being called upon to carry. 

“After several attempts, I saw I coidd not succeed. 

‘ I was al>out to give up the idea, when anoth -r occiirred to me — one that 
l)romiseu better. It was suggested by a rcmeinhiance of something I had read, 
relating to the Gauchos of South America. When one dies, or is killed by ac- 
cident, in some remote station of tlic I’ampas, his comrades carry his corpse to 
their distant home — strnjipcd in the saddle, and scited in the same attitude as 
though he were still alive. 

“ Why should I not do the same with the body of Henry Poindexter? 

“I made the attempt — first trying to set him on his own horse. 

“But the saddle being a Hat one, and the animal still remaining restive, I did 
not succeed. 

“There was but one other chance of making the home journey together: by 
exchanging horses. 

“I knew that my own would not object. Besides, my Mexican saddle with 
its deep ti’ce, would answer admirably for the purpose. 

“ In a .short while 1 had the body in it, seated erect, in the natural position. 
Its stiffness, that had obstructed me liefore, now served to keep it in its place. 
The rigid limbs were easily drawn into the proper stride; and with the feet in- 
serted into tlic stirrups, aud the water-guards buckled tightly over the thighs, there 
was little ch.ance of the body slipping off 

“To make it more tlioroughly secure, I cut a length from my lazo; and warp- 
ing it rouml the waist, fastened one end to the pommel in front, the other to the 
cantlc behind. 

“ A separate piece tied the stirrups, and passing under the belly of the horse, 
kept the feet from swinging aliout. 

The head still remained to lie dealt with. It too must be taken along. 

"On lifting it from the ground, and endeavoring to detach it from the hat, I 
found that this could not be done. It was swollen to enormous dimensions; 
and the .'Omhrero adhered to it — close as the skin itself. 

" Having no fear that they would fall apart, I tied a piece of string to the 
buckle of the band; and hung both hat and head over the horn of the saddle. 

“This completed my preparaiions for the jouiney. 

“I mounted the horse of the murdered man ; and, calling upon my own to 
follow me — he was accustomed to do so without loading — I started to ride back 
to the settlement. 

“ In lc.ss than five minntes after, I was knocked out of my saddlo— and my 
senst's at the same time. 

“ But for thatci cumstance I should not be standing here,— at all events, not 
in the unple-asant position I now hold 

“ Knocked out of your .saddle !’’ exclaims the judge. ‘-How was that?" 

“ A simple accident ; or rather was it due to my own carelessness. On mount- 
ing the strange horse I neglected to take hold of the bridle. Accustomed to 
guide my own— often with only my voice and knees — I had grown regnrdlc.ss of 
the reins. I did not anticipate an occurcncd of the kind that followed. 

“The horse I wjis on, had only stepped three lengths of lUclf, from the place 
where I had bestridden him, when something caused him to shy to one 8{d(\ 

aad break into a gallop. , i j j 

•• I need not say tomtthing ; for 1 knew what it was. He had looked round, 


TtlE ITEADLK88 HORREMAW. 


S81 


r 

i 


and seen the other coming on behind, with that strange shape upon his bick. 
tliat now in tlic broad light of day w.is enough to frighten horse or man. 

“I clutched at the bridle; but, before I could lay my hand upon it, th« 
horse w;ls at 'iill s-'Ced. ' 

“At first I was luit a little alarmed ; indeed not at all. I supposed I should 1 
soon recover the reins and bring the runaw.iy to a stand ^ 

“ But I soon found this could not casilv bo done. They had strayed ftirwanl, 
almost to the animal's oars ; and I could not re.ich them, without laying my- f 
•elf flat along the neck. [ 

“While endeavoring to secure the briille, I took no heed of the direction in i 
which the horse was taking me. It was only when I felt a sharp twitching : 
against my chcck.s, that I discovered he had forsaken the open tract, and w.as [ 
carrying me through the chnp|>ural. 

“ After that I had no time to make observations — no chance even to look > 
after the lost reins. I was enough occupied in dodging the branches of the 
mc/.(iuit(‘s, that stretched out their spinous arms as if desiring to drag me from 
the saddlo. ‘ 

“ I managed to steer clear of them, though not without getting scrntcbca. j 
“But there was one I could not avoid — the limb of a large tree that jirojccted : ^ 
across the patli. It w.as low down— on a level with my breast — and tlie brute. ■ 
shying from something that had given a fresh start, shot right under it. \ 

“ Where he wont afterwards I do not attempt to say. You all know that — I 
believe, iKjttcr titan I. I can only tell you, that, after unhorsing, he left me ? 
under the limb, with a lump upon my forehead and a painful swelling in the . 
knee; neither of whicli I knew anything about till two hours aftertvards. « 

“ When my scn.scs came back to me, I saw the sun high up in the heavens, . 
and some scores of turkey bu/./.ar-ls wheeling in circles above me. I could tclL ■ 
by the craning of their necks what was the prey they were expecting. 1 

“The sight of them, as well as my thirst— that was beginning to grow 
painful — prompted me to move away from the place, I 

“On rising to my feet, I discovered that 1 could not walk. Worse still, I ( 
was univl)lc to stand. | 

“To stay on that spot was to perish at least I so thought at the time. r 

“ Urged by the thought, I exerted all the strength left me, in an effort ti"^ 
reach water. \ 

“I knew there was a stream nc.ar by; and partly by crawling, — partly by. 
the help of a rude crutch procured in the thicket — I succeeded in reaching it ' 
“Having satisfied my thirst, 1 felt refreshed; and soon after fell a.sleep. | 

“ I awoke to find myself surrounded by coyotes. » 

“There were at least two score of them ; and although at first I had no fcai' 

— knowing their cowardly nature — I was soon brought to a diflerent way ofN 
thinking. ^ 

“ They saw that I was disabled; and for this reason had determined upon 
atticking me. [ 

“After a time they did so— clustering around and springing upon me in a ^ 
simultaneous onslaught, 

“I had no weapon but my knife; and it was fortunate I had that. Alto- 
gather unarmed, 1 must have Itccn tom to pices, and devoured. [ 

“ With the knife I was able to keep them off, stabbing ns many a.s I could 
get a fiur stroke at. Ualf-a-dozcn, I should tliink, were killed in this way. 





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382 


THE HEADLESS IIORSEMAW. 


J 

i 


“ Vor all that it would have ended ill for me. I was becominf; enfeebled b^ 
the blood fast pouring from my veins, and must soon have succunil)ed, but for 
an unexpected chance that tunied up in my favor. 

. “ I can sc.arcc cull it chance. I am more witisfied to tbhik it was the hana 

of God.” 

I On pronouncing this sjweeh the young Irisbm.in turns his eyes towards 
’ Heaven, and stands for a time as if reflecting reverentially. 

Solemn silenee around tells that the attitude is respected. The hearts of all, 
even the rudest of his listeners, seem touched with the eonfideneeso cxpres.sed! 
j ‘‘It showed itself,” he eontimies, “in the shape of an old comrade -one 
eftimes more faithful than man himself— my staghoiind, Tara. 

“The dog had Ix-en straying — i>eih.aps in search of me — though I’ve since 
, heard a «lilhTeut exjilanation of it, with which 1 need not trouble you. At all 
^ events, he found me; ami just in time to be my rescuer. 

_ “The coyotes scattered at his aj>j)oael;; and I was saved from a fearful 
fate — I may say the jaws of death. 

“I had another spell of sleep, or uncon.seiousno.ss — whichever it may have 
l*cen. 

“ On awakening I was able to reflect. I knew that the Jog must have come 
I from mv jacale; which I also knew to l)c several milesdis taut. Ho had been 
taken thither, the day Irefore, by my servant, I’hclira. 

“Tlic man should still Ikj there; and I bethought me sending him a 
message — the staghound to Ijc its Ircarcr. 

“ I wrote some words on a card, which I chanced to have about me. 

^ “I was aware that my sonant could not read; but on seeing the card he 

I would recognize it ns mine, and seek some who could decipher what I had 

written upon it. 

“ There would be the more likelihood of his doing so, seeing that the charac- 
ters were traced in blood. 

“ Wrapping the card in a piece of buckskin, to secure it against being dis- 
troyed. I attached it to Tara’s neck. 

“With some difficulty I succeeded in getting the animal to leave ma. But 
he did so at length ; and, as I had hoped, to go home to the hut. 

“It appears that iny message was duly carried; though it was only yester- 
.ay I w;is made acquainted with the result. 

j “Shortly after the dog took his deiiarture, I once more fell asleep— again 
'•wakening to find myself in the presence of an enemy — one more terrible than 
had yet encountered. 

! “ It was a jaguar. 

/ “Aeonflict came off between us ; but how it ended, or after what time, I 
!im unable to tell. I leave that to my brave rescuer, Zeb Stump ; who, I hope, 

J will soon return to give an account of it— with much besides that is yet myster- 
' lous to me, as to yourselves. 

“All I can remember since then is a scries of incongruous dreams— painful 
J ]>l.autasmagoria — mingled with pleasant visions — ah I some that were celestial 
— until the day before yesterday, when I awoke to find myself an inmate of a 
prison — with a charge of murder hanging over my herrd 1 
“ Gentlemen of the jury ! 1 have done. ” 


• • • 


• • 


e 




THE HEADLESS UOK8EMAK. 


383 


“ non veto t hen trovato,” is the reflection of judge, jury, and spectators, ns 
the prisoner completes his recital. They may not express it in such well- 
turned phrase ; but they feel it — one and all of them. And not a few b* iievc 
in the truth, and reject tlie thought of contrivance. The tale is tfo simple — U-o 
circiimstantial — to have been contrived, and by a man whoso brain is but just 
recovered from the confusion of fevered fancies. It is altogether improbable I.e 
should h.avc concocted such a story. So think the m.ajority of those to whom 
it has been told. His confession — irregular ns it may have l)cen — has done 
more for his defence than the most clorjuent speech his counsel could have de- 
livered. Still it is but his own tale ; and other testimony will be required tf 
clear him. Where is the witness upon whom so much is sujqKjscd to depend. 
Where is Zeb Stump? Five hundred paim of eyes turn towards the prairie, and 
•can the horizon with inquiring gaze. Five hundred hearts throb with a mad 
im])avicnce for the return of the old hunter — with or without Cassius Calhoun — > 

with or without the Headless Ilorsciiian — now no longer either myth or mystery I 
but a natural phenomenon, explained and eompreheuded. 

It is not necessary to say to that assemblage, that the thing is an improba- j 

bility — much less to pronounce it impossible. They arc 'rexans of the south- j 

wC't — ileniz'.'Tis of the high ujiland plateau, bordering ujion the “Staked ' 

riaiii,” from which sjjrings the lovely Leona, and where the river of Nuts 1 

heads in a hundred crystal streams. * 

They arc dwellers in a land, where death can scarce lie said to have its t 

successor in decay; where the stag struck down in its tracks — or the wild steed ! 

succumbing to some hapless chance— unless Iw wild lieasts devoured, will, after I 

a time, bid defiance both to the laws of corruption and the teeth of the coyote ; | 

where the corjise of mortal man himself, left un< offmed and uncovered, will in < 

the short ].eriod of eight-and-forty hours, exhibit the signs, and partake of the 
qualities, of a mummy freshly exhumed from the catacombs of Kgyjit ! | 

But few upon the ground who are not acquainted with thii j>ocuiiarity of the 
Texan clim.itc — that section of it close to the bieira Madrc — and more csjicci- 
ally among the spurs of the Llano Estacado. [ 

yhould the Hcadlc.ss Horseman be led b.ick under the live oak. there is not ! 
one who will be sur|)rised to sec the dead body of Henry Poindexter scarce 
showing the incipient sign of decompo-ition. If there Ikj any incredulity alsmt 
the story just told them, it is not on this account ; and they stand in impatient 
expectation, not because they require it to lie confirmed. Their impatience 
may Ikj traced to a diifcrcnt cau.se — a suspicion, awakened at an early jKjriod of 
the trial, and which, during its progress, has been gradu.dly growing stronger; 
until it has at length assumed almost the shape of a Itclief. 

It is to confiim, or dissijiate this, that nearly every man ujion the ground — ! 

every woman as well — chafes at the absence of that witnc.«8, whoso u-stimony is ! 
expected to restore the accused to his liberty, or consign him to the gnllow^^^^ 
tree. Under such an impression, they stand interrogating thu level line — ; 

whore sky and savanoah miugle the soft bluo of the sappliiru with the vivid 
green of the emerald 1 


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384 


THK )IKAI>I.Knn HOKBKMAir. 


CHAPTER XCV. 

THE LAST WITNESS. 

The wntchfnl nir Is kept np for a period of full ten minutes, nnd nlonj with it 
t ie solemn silenec. I h * latter is at inten-nis intennrfcd by a word or excla- 
mation— when some one sees, or fancies a spot upon the prairie. Then th‘>rc is 
a buza of excitement ; and men sf.and on tiptoe to obtain a better view. Thrice 
IS t m crotvd stirred by warnings that have proved false. Its patience is be- 
co iiing exhausted, when a fourth Palates the ear, spoken in a louder voice nnd 
more eonlldent tone. Th s time the tale is tni-. 'I’t.ere are shadows upon the 
eky-Iine — shadow.? fast assuming shnp'', siibstanee, and motion. 

A wild shout— !hc old Saxon “ hllzz:^’' swells up among the branehes of the 
live oak, as the figures of three horsemen emerging from the film of the sun- 
parched p-airie are seen coming in the direction of tlic tree ! Two of th<-m are 
easily rteognized, as Zeb Stump and Cassius Calhoun. The third still more 
^'•ily : for far as eye can sei*, that fantastic form cannot be mistaken. The 
first erv of the crowd, which but .signalled ‘he reiurn of the two men is fol- 
low^ by another, yet mor j significant— when it is seen thnt thev are ’nceom- 
paniwl by a creature, so long the theme of weird thoughts, nnd 'strange con- 
jcctiiring?. Though its nature is now known, nnd its cause understood, still it 
IS regarded with fe d n m akin to awe. The shoiiv Ls succeed® I by an interreg- 
nnra of silence— unbroken, till the three ho se-m n have come close up; and 
then only by a hum oi' whisperings, as if the thoughts of the spectators were 
too solemn to be spoken aloud. 

JI.''ny go fonvard to meet the approaching cortege; and with wondering gaze 
aceompsny it back upon the ground. The trio of equestrians come to a halt 
outside the circle of sjicctators; which s'xin changes .centre, closing excitedly 
around them. Two of them dismount, the third remains seated in the saddle. 
Calhoun, leading his horse to one side, becomes commingled with the crowd. 
In the jircscnco of such a comp inion, he is no longer thought of. All eyes, as 
wcil ns though..?, dwell upon the ileadless Horseman. Zeb Stumji, abandoning 

the old mare, mkes hold of his bridle-rein, and conducts him under the tree 

into the pre.seiiee of the Court. “Now, judge! ’ says he, siicaking as to one 
who has command of the situation, “an’ you twelve o’ the jury 1 hyur’s a wit- 
ness as air like ly to let a glinip o’ daylight into yur deliberaahuns. What sav 
ye to examinin’ him An exclamation is heard, followed by the words, “ 6 
uod. It is he ! ’ A tall man staggers forward, and stands by the side of the Hcad- 

le.ss Horseman. It is his/tUhvr ! A cry proceeds from a more distant point 

a scream suddenly suppressed, us if uttered by a woman before swooning. It Is 
/iw .M’.stee / 

After a time, Woodley Poindexter is led away — unresisting — apparently un- 
conscious of what is going on around him. But the carriage keeps its place. 
She who commands the check-string intends to stay there, rill the Court has de- 
clared its sentence — aye, till the hour of execution if that is to be tho end. Zeb 
Slump is officially directed to take his place in the “witness-box ” By orderoftho 
judge examinnion proceeds — under the direction of the counsel for the accused. 
Many formalities are dispensed with. Tho old hunter, who has been already 
sworn, is simply called to tell what be knows of tho affair; and leR to take his 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


385 


own way in the telling it; which he docs in curt phrases — ns if under the ’iclief 
that such is required by the tcchrucalitics of the law! After the following if-sh- 
ion does Zeb proccetl : — 

“Fust heerd o’ this ugly biziicss on the second day artcr young Point w t 
missin'. Heerd on it as I war returnin’ from a huntin’ s])ell down tho river. 
Heerd thar war a suspee.shun ’Itcout the mowstanger hevin kermitted the mur- 
der. Knowd he wan’t tnc man to do scch; but to be satersfied, rud out to his 
shinty to see him. He wan’t at home, though his man Pheelum war; so skeeart 
’beout one thing and tiie tother licked gic no clur account o’ anythin’. 

Wal, whiles wo war palaverin’, in kim the dog, wi’ somethin’ tied round 
his neck— the which, on bein 'zamined, proved to be the mowstanger’s cur.l. 
'I’hur war words on it ; wrote in red ink. which I seed to be blood. 

“Them woixls told to whomsodever shed read ’em, whar tho young fellurwar 
to oa foun’. 

‘ ‘ I went thar, takin’ tho other two — that air I’hcclum nnd the honn’ along wi’ 
mo. 

“Wo got to the groun’ jest in time to save tho mowstanger from hevin’ hia 
guts clawed out by one o’ them ere sjrotted painters— the Mexicins call tigors— 
though I've heern the young feller his-sclf gic ’em tho name o’ Jug-wars. 

“ I ])nt a bullet through the brute ; nnd tlict war tho eend o’ it. 

“ Wal wo tuk the mowstangeer to his shaiuy. We hed to tont him thar on 
a sort o’ strectchcr ; seeiii’ as he wan’t able to make tracks ’o hisself. Beside, 
ho war as mneh oat o’ his senses as a turkey gobber nttreadin’ time. 

“ Wo got him hum ; an’ thur he stayed, till tho sarchere kim to the shanty 
an’ foun’ him. 

The witness makes pause : as if pr.ndcring within himself whether ho should 
rel ito tho scries of cxtrnonlinary incidents that took place during his stay at 
tlic jacale. Would it be for the benefit of tho accused to leave them untold? 

Ho rc.solvcd to be reticent. 

This docs not s lit the counsel for the prosecution, who proceeds to cross-ex- 
amine liim. 

It results in his having to give a full and particular account of everything th.nt 
occurred — up to the time of tho prisoner being taken out of his hands, and in- 
car’cratcd in the guard-house. 

“Now,” says he, as soon ns the cross-questioning comes to a close, “since 
ye’ve raado me tell all I know ’lieoutthat part o’ thcbtzness, thurs somethin’ ye 
haint thought o’ askin’, an’ the which this child’s boun’ to make a clean breast o'.” 

‘ ‘ Proceed, Mr. Stump 1 ” says he of San Antonio, entrusted with the direct ex- 
amination. 

“ Wal, what I’m goin’ to say now haint so much to do wi’ the prisoner at tho 
bar’ as wi' a man thet in my opcenyun oughtcr lie stannin’in his place. I 
won’t say who that man air. I’ll tell ye what I know, an’ hev foun’ out, an’ 
then yon o’ the jury m.ay reckon it np for yursclvcs.’’ 

The old hun’er makes pau.se, drawing a long wreath — as if to prepare himself 
for a full spell of confe.ssion. 

No one attempts cither to interrupt or urge him on. There is an impression 
that he can unravel the mystery of tho murder. That of the Headless Horsc- 
inan no longer needs unravelling. 

“Wal, fellnr citezens! ” continues Zeb, assuming a changed style of apostro- 
phe, “ orter what I heerd, an’ more especially what I seed, I knowed that poor 


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880 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


young I’cint wur gone under — struck down in his trucks — wined out of th« 
world. 

“ I knowd equally well that he who did the cowardly deed wan’t, aef 
kedn't be, the mowstanger — Maurice Gerald. 

“ VVho war it then ? Thet war thequestyiin that bamboozled me, as It's 
done the rest o’ ye — them as haint made up their minds ’ithout reflekshun. 

“ Wall; thinkin’ as I did that the Irish wur innocent, I bekim detar- 
mined to dbkiver the truth. I ain’t goin’ to say thet appearances wan’t 
agin him. 'Fhey wur dog-gonedly agin him. 

" For all thet, I wan’t goia’ to rely on them ; an’ so I tuk purayra to her 
a squint at the sign. 

“ I knowd thur must be hoss-tracks leadin’ to the place, an’ boss-tracks 
goin from it ; an’ d — n ’em ! thur wur too many o’ ’em, goin' everywhur — 
else the thing mout a been eezy enough. 

“ But thar wur one partickler set I’d got a down upon ; an’ them I detar- 
mined to toiler up to the eend o’ creashun. 

“ They war the footmarks o’ an Amerikin boss, hevin’ three shoes to the 
good, an’ a fourth wi’ a bit broken off the eend o’ it. This liyur’s the eye- 
dentikul piece o’ iron 1” 

The witness draws his hand from the pocket of his blanket coat, in which 
it has been some time buried. In the fingers are seen the shoe of a horse, 
only three quarters complete. He holds it on high — enough for judge, 
jury, and spectators to see what it is. 

“ Now, Mr. Judge,” he continues, “ an’ you o’ the jury, the hos-s that car- 
ried this shoe went acrosst the purayra the same night thet the murder war 
committed. He went arter the man thet air murdered, as well as him thet 
Stans thar accused o’ it. He wont right upon the track o’ both, an’ stopped 
short o’ the place whur the crime wur committed. 

” But the man that rud him didn’t stop short. He kep on till ho war dost 
ap to the bloody spot ; an’ it war through him it arterwards bekim bloody. 
It war the third horse — him wi’ 'he broken shoo — that carried the munlerer !” 

‘‘Goon, Mr. Stump !” directs thejudgo. “Explain what you mean by 
this extraordinary stj.'tement.” 

“ What I mean, judge, air jest this. The man I’m speakin’ o’ tuk stan’ 
in tho thicket, from which stan’ he fired the shot thet killed poor young 
Peintdexter.” 

"Whatman? Who was it? His name I Give his name 1” simultane- 
ously interrogates twenty voices. 

“ I reckon yu’ll find it thar.” 

“ Where ?” 

“ Whar? In that thur body as sits Mthouta head, lookin’ dumbly down 
on ye I 

“Ye kin all see,” continues the witness, pointing to tho silent shape, 

“ ye kin all see a re<l patch on tho breast o’ tho strif^ blanket. Tliur’s a 
hole in the centre o’ it. Ahint that hole I reck’n thur’Il be another, in tho 
young fellur’s barkidge. Thar don’t appear any to match it at the back. 
Tiiurfor I conklude thet the bullet as did his bizness air still inside o’ him. 
S’jwsin’ we strip oflF his duds, an’ see?” There is a tacit consent to this 
proposition of the witness. Two or three of the spectators — 8am Manly 
one of them — step forward ; and with due solemnity proceed to remove the 


the headless horseman. 


387 ! 


sernpe. As at the inauguration of » ppectators stand in respectful 

won^ihe right of such ^Jndef tho 'Fexan tree, while^the 

silence at its SouldeJs of tho Headless Horseman, .t is 

scrajH^ is being raised 1 rum ^ h’. ^ whispers. These are heard 

a silence solemn. „n,i the dead hotly becomes revealed to 

only after the “ I ig d in a blouse of sky blue 

the gaze of the nsseinblago. “ ,, .,j to tho thioat. The limbs 

—box plaited at with a lighter stripe along the scams, 

are encased a cl«th of j ’ extremities being concealed bj 

But only tho thighs can stretched over them. Around 

U,e“ water-guards J ^ m of plaited rope, the strands 

the waist— twice twined around ' 1 j. ^ j‘to ,1,^ projections of the 

.t Mr, ,f ■'"» .t; i- its uprlebt .t.itti<l.- ' , 

high-pc iked saddle. By it • attached to the stirrups and 

is further stayed by a section ttie belly of the horse. Everything 

traversing-surcing e fashion--umU r y ^ 

as the accused has stated— all * ^ .P ^ of Zeb Stump, their 

tators do not stay to inquire gSutinizing it. Two hul lei 

eyes are directed towards tiio ^dy, heart - tho other piercing the 

h^oies are seen ; one over the ^on o tl o hear^ ^ 

breast-bone just alwve the appears a circle of blojsi with 

comes concentrate^ ; «'nce ar saturated the soft cottmadt—w^^ 

streams straying ghows no similar signs. It is 

seemingly desiccated Th birr enough fora pea to have p<iS8» d , 

' 

Z.1, Stu™. pointing to Je Vo“ 

tho bullet I fired ^ whicli prove thet it were a dead ^y 

Yo obsarve thar’s «« diSei-ont It wur the shot a- w-ttlcd 

'on'^orrrt jeT find J.o bit o’ k-od «ili tt- 

,id« o’ ibe corp. Soppouo yo "'"J® “ \”'on.""’on tbo conlmy, ibo judRC < 
diicts it tUe done ns Zeb has out cf J 

are unloosed : tlie " Rterguards unhuc^^^l^ ^^^ part in the unpacking^ 
the saddle. It feels stark an ix-coinc fossilized. The bglitj 

-the arms and limbs as exceeds thac of i 

ness tells of desiccation i .ft full length along the grawl 

mummy! With ^espec ful carefidn s^b ^ acting as the chief. Di- 

The opc'rators stoop silently over . " the vvound— that with a 

reeled by the judge, he inakee^n 1 through the ribs to 

circle of extravasated jg discovered tho thing searehed for. , 

the lungs underneath. In the left looc probe-tbo point of a bovvie- , 

Something ^^mer than flesh is toic hy^^ 1^^^ extracted ; rubbed , 

knife. It has the feel of a auiiraitted to the examination of the jup’. > 

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388 


THE HEADLKPS IlOltSSMAN. 


tliose tell-tale initials I There art S'l • lilnj; on who remember to liaTS 
hoanl of them before. Some who i ■ >v to that boast about a marked 

bullet — when the killin^r of the ja^ ' rouitste.l ! lie who made that 
boast Jias DOW reason to regret it ! v litre is ho If" The question is 

beginning to bo asked. 

“ What’s your explanation, Mr. Stump ?’’ is another question put by the 
counsel for the accused. 

“ Dont need mach, 1 reck’u,’’ is the reply. "He’d be a durnationed green, 
born as can’t see, clur as the light o’ day, that young Peint war plugged by 
thet ere bullet.’’ 

“ By whom fired, do you think ?’’ 

“ Wal ; thet appear to bo eqully clur. When a man signs his name to 
a message, thar’s no chance o’ mistakin’ who it kums from. Thar’s only 
j the ineesliuls thur : but they’re plain enuf, I reck’n, an’ speak for their. 

1 selves.’’ 

I “I see nothing in all this,’’ interposes the prosecuting oo juscl. " There 
I is a marked bullet, it is true — with a symbol and certain letters, which may 
[ or may not, belong to a gentleman well known in the Settlement. For 
the sake of argument, let us suppose them to be his — as also the ball before 
us. What of that? It wouldn't be the first time that a murder has been 
1 committed — by one who has first stolen his weapon, and then used it to ac- 
complish the deed. It is but a piece of ordinary cunning — a common trick. 

1 Who can say that this is not something of the same sort?’’ 

" Besides," continues the specious pleader, " where is the motive for • 

! murder such as this would be — supposing it to have been committed by the 
man you are now called upon to suspect ? VV’ithout mentioning names, we 
, all know to whom these initials belong. I don’t suppose the gentleman 
will deny that they are his. But that signifies nothing ; since there is no 
other circumstance to connect him in any way with the committal of the 
' crime.” 

! •' Aint thar though ?” asks Stump, wlio has been impatiently awaiting 

' ihe wind up of the lawyer’s speech. “ What do ye call this ?’’ 

\ Zeb, on delivering himself, takes from his tinder-^wuch a piece of paper— 
j crumpled — scorched along the edges — and blackened as with gunpowder. 

' " This I foun’,” says he, surrendering it to the jury. '* stuck fast ou a 

thorn o’ a muskeet tree, whar it had been blowed out o’ the barrel o’ a gun. 
'"It kim out o’ the same gun as dischurged thet bullet — to which it bed ser- 
ved for waddin’. As this chile takes it, it’s bin the backin’ o’ a letter. 
Thar’s a name on it, which hev a kewrious correspondings wi’ the ineeshuls 
-'on the bit o’ lead. The jury kin read the name for tharselves.’’ 

, The foreman takes the scrap of paper ; and smoothing o«t the creases, 
reads alood : — 

i CAPTAIN CASSIUS CAUIOVK I 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


CHAPTER XCVI. 

STOLE AWAY 1 

THE .nnouncemeBl of the o.o.o 

It is acconipftniod by ft crv — sent up by ll ♦ it ic ■ 

pap?r has^urnished the last link in thechain tt^o^ 

Ts but circumstantial, and the motive an mconceivab e ; 

scarce any one who has a doubt about the doer of the deed. , 

After a short time spent in examining the envelope— passsed from him \ 
to hS nmoo” the ju^ mon-the ,vi,n<« >.ho ho. hmt.d .1 h.,..g 

thing more to tell, is directed to continue his , . orioinallv ! 

He proceeds to give an account of his suspicion s— those that 
nrompKhn to ^ek for “sign ’’upon the prairie He tells o the Biot 1 
flrpd l)v Calhoun from the copse; of the chase that succeeded . and the } 
lh.T°.m« “ter. L»,t of .11 h. describe, the he m the ch.^ f 
paral, where the Headless Horseman has been caught —giving this la - f 
est episode in all its details, with bis own interpretation of it. 

Tibs done, lie makes a pause, and stands silent, as ^Biting t 
to question him. But the eyes of the auditory are v 

him They know that his tale is completed ; or, if not so, 
further tesdmony to guide their conclusif'ns. They do not even stay for the i 

deliberations of Ihe Court, now proceeding to sift thSnSvti ) 

is too slow for men who have seen justice so near being duped--them9el\^( 
nloSi with it; and-swayed by a bitter reactionary spirit-reven^ 
proceeding from self reproach— they call loudly for a change m the p i 
gramme. The Court is assailed with the cnes :— 

* •• Let the Irishman go— he is innocent 1 We dont want any farther 
©Tid»*n€e. We’re convinced of it. Let bim go tree 1 

Buell is the talk that proceeds from the excited spectatore. 

U is followed by other speeches equally earnest =— 

" Let Cassius Calhoun be arrested and put upon bis trial 1 
It’s lie that’s done the deed I Tlml’s why he s shown so ^ f S 
the other 1 If he’s innocent he’ll be able to prove it. He shall have a fiu 


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ri(‘(l li« Blinll be. Come, Judpe ; we’re waitinp; upon you! Or 
Calhoun to be broup;bt helore tlie ('ourt. An innocent man’s been 
Jonfj enough. Let the f^uilty take his place ! ” 
iie dem-and, at first made by some half dozen voices, soon becomes a 
.^clamour, universally endorsed by the assemblage. 

Tlie judge dares not refuse compliance with a proposal so energetically 
urged : and, despite the informality, Cassius Calhoun is called upon tocomo 
before the Court. 

I The summons of the crier, thrice loudly pronounced, receives no re- 
, sponse ; and all eyes go in search of Calhoun. 

Tltere is only one pair that looks in the right direction — those of Zeb 
Stuntp. 

The ci-devant witness is seen suddenly to forsake the spot on which he haa 
been giving liis testimony, and glide toward his old mare — still alongside 
the horse late relieved of his ghastly rider. 

With an agility that surprises every one, the old hunter springs upon the 
mare’s liack. aud spurs her from under the tree. 

At the same instant the spectators catch sight of a man, moving among 
the Itorses that stnn<i picketed over the plain, 
i Tliough proceeding stealthily ns if to avoid being observed, he moves at 
I a rapid rate — innkittg for a particular quarter of the eavallada. 

\ “ ’Tis lie 1 ’Tis Calhoun 1 " cries the voice of one who has recognized him, 

) “ Trying to steal off ! ” proclaims another. 

1 “ Follow him ! ” shouts the Judge, in a tone of stern command. “ Fol 

! low and bring him back ! ” 

/ There is no need tor the order to be repeated. Ere the words are well 
i out, it is in the act of being obeyed — by scores of men who rush simulta- 
' neously towards their horses. Before reaching them, Calhoun has n nched 
i his— a grey mustang, standing on the outskirts, of the t<i 0 aUada. It is the 
EAine ho hiis lately ridtien in chase of the Headless Horseman. The saddle 
f is still upon its back, and the bitt between its teeth. From the commotion 
) observable under the tree, and the shouting that accompanies it, he has be,- 
"l come cognizant of that terrible signal — the “ hue and cry. ” Concealment 
>16 no longiir possible ; and, changing from *’e stealthy pace to a quick, ear- 
'nest run, he bounds upon the animal’s back Giving a wild glance 1 ack- 
Vard, heads it towards the jirairie — going ofiF at a gallop. Fifty horses are 
.soon laid along his track — their riders roused to the wildest excitement -by 
^some words pronounced at their parting. ‘Bring him btwtk — dead or 
j alive 1” was the solemn phrase, — supposed to have been spoken by the 
'major. No matter by whom. It needs not the stamp of official warrant to 
stinulate the ]>ursuera. Their horror of the foul deed is sufficient lor this 
\ — coupled with the high respect in which the victim of it had been held 
/Each man spurs onward, as if riding to avenge the death of a relative — a 
^.brother ; as if each was himself eager to become an instrument in the exi - 
/cution of justice 1 Never before has tlie ex -captain of cavalry been in such 
Manger of his life ; not while charging over the red battle-field of Buena 
Vista: not while stretched upon the sanded fioor of Olierdorfer’s bar-room, 
vith the mustanger’s pistol jxiinted at his head 1 He knows as much ; and, 
snowing it, spurs on at a fearful pace — at intervals casting behind a glasM 
qu'ck, furtive, and fierce. 


THK HEADLESS HDRSEMAN. 


391 


T* « Irmk of desniir It has not y.'^t come to this ; though at sigut 

of uch a ?o ^^.ni-3dn hearing o/their harsh vengeful cries-one 
^Xt wonder he ?ould entertain the shadow of a hope. He has Ho 

knSws that he is mounted on a fleet horse, and that there « Yt'sSnHy “n 
ber before him. True, it is nearly ten miles distant. But what signity ten 
miles ’ He is riding at the rate of twenty to the hour ; and in hah. an 1 Jur 
he may find shelter in the chapparal ? Is this the thought that sustains / 
hhu ? It can s^rce be. Concealment in the thicket-witli half a score of 
skilled trackers in pursuit-Zeb Stump at their ^ 

this There is no hiding place for him ; and he knows it. ^ ’ 

hinders him from sinking under der-i-air, and at once resigning himself to 
what must be his ultimate destiny ? Is it the mere instinct of ^”^ 0 ! 
giving way to a blind unreasoning effort at impossible escape ? I 

Srkfnd. The murderer of Henry Poindexter is not mad. 1“ 
to elude the justice he now dreads, he is nor trusting to such / 

ces as either a quick gallop across the irrairie or a 

the timber beyond. There J® ^ S’ ‘There* 

his thoughts are dwelling, and his hopes have become fixed, ^hero , 
indeed, fwo borders. One that scpaiates two nations termed civili. 

There is a law of extradition between tucm. For al. this the red-ham, 
assassin may cheat justice-often does— by an 

the other— a mere change of residence and nationality. But t is 
course Calhoun intends to take. However ill observed the statute betwee 
Texas and Mexico, he has no intention to take advantage of its loose obser 
vance He dreads to risk such a danger. With the consciousness of his grea 
•rimeibe has reason. Though riding toward the Kio Grande, it is not with 
the design of crossing it. He has b, -thought him of f 

beyond which roams the savage liVl vi! 

—whose hand is against every man with a white skin ; but will ^ lifted 
lightly against him, who has soillod the white man s blood . In hw lent,i 
the murderer may not only find a home, but hope for hospitality perhapa^ 
■nromotion, in the rod carter of his adoption! / 

^ It is from an understanding of these circumstances, that Calhoun sees sj 
chance of escape, that supports him against aespair: and though he linj' 
started in a direct line for the Rio Grande, he intends, under cover of th 
channM-al. to flee towards the LUrno Eslacado. , j 

HoXes not dread the dangers of this fnghtful desert; nor any oth 
that may lie before him. They can be but light compared with th< 

threalning behind. . , , 1 

He might feel regret at the terrible expatriation forced upon H 

loss of wealth, friends, social status, and civilization-moro than all, tK 
severance from one too uildly, wickedly loved-perhaps never to seea^iil 
But he has no time to think even of her. To his ignoble nature lue B 
dearer than love. He fancies that life is still before him ; but it is no fam 
that tells him death is behind- fast travelling upon his tracks 1 


The murderer makes haste — all th« haste that can taken out 
Mexican mustang — swift as the steeds of Arabia, from which it can 
descent. 


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392 


THK HEADLESS HORSEMAN’, 


under the sombre shadow of the live oak in the at^rn nra^Z 

“a ii7,i,t« 'rf XK™™ ‘° “" '"• “”Xious“ XS 

elear'ifJI dSr.“ H^aLiXck “'Xe 

Still far behind him. ^‘8 pursuers 

He looks forward, and, in the dark line looming above the bright irreen 
of the savannah, descries the chapparal. He has no Honhf 

*lFvpn'’fS^°V^^H ‘^''8Uco of escape will be almost certain ^ ® 
^ven if he should not succeed ib concealing himself within the thicket 

vst himself ti moSnJS*Sn ^the 

at horse that is inakingf passage of the prairie. 

Vho, then, can come up with him? 

Je congratulates himself on the cl^nce thai has given him such a steed 
^ ^ cannot attribute it to God I 

■And will G^ permit this red-handed ruffian to escape ? Will Ha na* 
,T.Xch forth His almighty arm. and stay the asL^TSs fliX^ 



i 


THE HEADLEm horseman. 


f 

393 ) 

I 

P- 

t 

CHAPTER XCm I 


THE CHASE OF THE ASSASSIN. 


Will God permit the red-handed ruffian to escape? Will ITo not stretch forth 
His almighty arm, and stay the assassin in his flight? These interrogatories 
arc put by those who have remained under the tree. They are answered by an 
instinct of justice — the first ncg.itivcly, the second in the affirmative. Hi. will 
NOT, and He will. The answers are but conjectural ; doubtfully so, ns Cal- 
houn goes galloping off ; a little less doubtful ns Zeb Stump is descried start- 
ing after him; and still less, when a hundred horsemen — soldiers and driliaiis 
spring forward in pursuit. The doubt diminishes ns the last of the pursuers is 
seen leaving the ground. All seem to believe that the last at starting will Im 
first in the chase : for they perceive that it is Maurice, the mustanger mounted 
on a horse whose flectness is now far famed. The exclamations late ringing 
through the court have proclaimed not only a fresh postponement of his trial, 
but its indefinite adjournment. By the consent of the assemblage, vociferously 
expressed, or tacitly admitted, he feels that he is free. The first use he makes 
of his liberty is to rush towards the horse late ridden by the headless rider — as 
all know— his own. At his approach the animal recognizes its master; pro- 
claims it by giving utterance to a glad “whigher!" Despite the long sever- 
ance. there is scarce time to exchange congratulations. A single word passes 
the lips of the mustanger, in response to the neigh of recognition ; and in the 
next instant he is on the back of the blood-bay, with the bridle in his grasp, 
lie looks round fora lazo; asks for it appealingly, in speech directed to the 
bysUmders. After a little delay one is thrown to him, and he is off. The spec- 
tators sLind gazing after. There is no longer ■ doubt as to the result. Tho 
wish, almost universal, has become a universal belief. God has decreed that 
the assassin shall not escape; but that he will be overtaken, captured, and 
brought back before that some tribunal, where he so late stood a too willing 
witness ! 

And the man, so near suffering death through his perjured testimoDj, is tho 
instrument chosen to carry ont the Divine decree 1 

Even the rude Regulators— with their practical habitudes of life, but little re- 
garding the idea of Dinne interference — cannot help having tho impression of 
this poetical justice. ; 

One and all give way to it, as the red stallion springs off over the pnirkj 
aanying Maurice Get sld upon his back. ^ 


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394 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAW. 


After hifl departure, an episodic occurs under the shadow of the live oalo It 

Un^t^hifthatTndereit from being observ;ed; wfoZiew 

turned face towards the nlain, and watches the chase, fast receding frona vie . 

ThL is one sS^^ning it with a look unlike the others. A lady st nuns her 
.viZ.ugh7hcTS of « coW.-l,cr glaneo filing of . U.oogl.. 
dissimilar to that felt bv the common sjiccPUors, , 

“ It is no mere cuiiosity that cans- s her twin breasts to sink 
spimodic breathing. In 

triumph as it falls upon the pursued ; while from her bps, sligU y pa 
I escapes the prayer . jntrey on thegviliif mant” 




nokjed . iMc .. n,oontmg-.n<l moro in 
S: iTowV^SoK-Th .^0 o^„ dUunc. 

from hi9 inert load— to liim an meu i gLing, off over the jiraino turf 

K:r.rno»^Sr*Sg" .iui f-m, it,.tro»gtU, and hi. 

“"ii”“rc£v .ta 'v'«'rf‘ti.o" 

J «;»i niiat ^i'gl/he taken for .1,. »,rrie.. ft .tceoa-n. 

“'uer'“.3°;cn';. different ndc, prodnoed .hough it be b, the ..r.nj.««f 
,,purs-the keen blade of a bowie-knife. 


THE HKADLESB HORSEMAN. 


395 ( 


1 


the oil! marc cannot keep pace with the magnificent stallion of the 
gcr. Nor dues Zel) cxjiect it. He but aims at holding the latter in 


It Is Zeb Stump who makes use of this quaint, but cruel, means of persua- 
sion. 

Still 

mustangcr 

sight ; and in this he is m) far successful. 

'riuTc is yet another who U-holds him with “beard upon shoulder." It is he 
who is pursued. 

Just as he has licgun to feel lioiM^ful of escape, Calhoun, looking Iwck, 
(atclies sight of the red stallion ; no longer with that strange shape iijKm his 
back, blit one as well recognized, and to him even more terrible. He jKjrceivas 
it to lie Maurice, the mustangcr — the man he would luivc devoted — was so near 
devoting — to the most di.sgraccful of deaths! 

lie sees this man coming after — hisown conscience tells him — os an avenger! 

Is it the hand of God that directs this enemy on his track? 
lie trembles as he asks himself the question. 

From any other luirsuer tticre might have been a chance of ccaping. There 
is none from Maurice Gerald ! i 

A colli shiver runs through the frame of the fugitive. lie feels as if ho were ' 
fighting against P'atc ; and that it is idle to continue the contest ! 5 

lie sits despairingly in his saddle ; scarce caring to ply the spur ; no longer ’ 
bclicr'ing that sliced can avail him ! 

His flight is now merely mechanical — his mind taking no interest in the per- 
formance. 

llis soul is absorbed with the horror of a dread death — not less dread, from^ 
his knowing that he deserves it. r 

Tlic sight of the chapji.aral, close at hand, insjarcs him with fresh hope; A.'.d,j 
forcing tlie fatigued horse into a la.st feeble effort, he struggles on towards it. 


i 


An opening presents itself, lie enters it ; and continues his gallop for half-a-^ 
mile further. \ 

lie arrives at a point, where the path turns sharply round some heavy timber. ‘ 
Beyond that, he might enter the underwood, and get out of sight of his 
pursuer. 

He knows the place, but too well, "t has been fatal to him before. Is it to 
prove so again 1 

It is. He feels that it i.s, and rides irresolutely. He hears the hoofetroko of 
the red horse close upon the heels of his own, and along with it the voice of 
the avenging rider, summoning him to stop. 

He is too la?e for turning the comer,— too late to seek concealment in the 
bushes, — and with a cry he reins up. 

It is a cry partly of fierce defiance — like the scream of a chased jaguar under 
bay of the bloodhounds. 

It is accompanied by a gesture; quick followed by a flash, a puff of white 
smoke, and a sharp detonation, that tells of the discharge of a revolver. 

But the bul.et whistles harmlessly through the air; while in the opposito 
direction is heard a hishing sound — as from the winding of a sling — and a long 
serpent seems to uncoil itself in the air I 

Colhonn sees it through the thinning smoke. It is darting straight towards 
him! ^ 

Ho has no time to draw trigger for a second shot — no time even to avoid th/ 
laso's loop. Before he can do either, he feels it settling over his shooldern ; li 


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hca.s the dread Bununons, '‘Surrender, yoi ase tsitin! ” ho sees the red Hal- 
liO!i turn tail towards him ; and, in the next inston', experiences the sensation 
1 ot one who has been kicked from a scaffold I 
I Beyond ’.his be feel-', hears, and sees nothing more. 

I lie has been jerked out of his saddle ; and the shock received in his cnllis'on 
I with the hard tiuf has knocked the breath out of his body, as well as the seie"* 
; out of his soul/ 


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CHAPTER XCVm. 


KOT DEAD TET. 


Tite assassin lies stretched along the earth — his arms embraced by the raw- 
hide rope — to all appearances dead. 

But his captor does not trust to this. Ho believes it to l>e only a faint — 
it may he a feint — and to make sure it is not the latter, he remains in his sad- 
dle, keeping his lazo upon the strain. 

The blood-bey, obedient to his will, stands firm as the trunk of a tree — ready 
to rear back, or bound forward, on receiving the slightest sign. 

It is a terrible tableau ; though far from l)cing strange in that region of red- 
handed strife, that lies along the far-stretching frontier of Tamaulipas and 
Texas. 

Oft — too oft — has the soaring vulture looked down upon such a see. e — with 
)oy — beholding it, as promising a banquet f<>r its filthy l)cak! 

Even n<rw half a score of these ravenous birds, attracted by the report of the 
pistol, now hovering in the air — their naked necks elongated in eager anticioa- 
tion of a feast ! 

One touch of the spur, on the part of him seated in the saddle, would give 
them what they want. 

“It wor ld serve the scoundrel right, ” mutters the mustangcr to himself. 
“ Great God, to think of the crime he has committed ! Killed his own coiw'n. 
and then cut off his head! There can bi* no doubt- that he has done both; 
though from what motive, God only can tell, — or himself, if he be still alive. 

“ I have my own thoughts about it. I know that he loves Arr; and it may t>e 
that the brother stood in his way. 

“ But how, and why 7 That is the question that requires an answer. Per- 
haps it can only be answered by God and himself.” 

“ Yur mistaken 'beout that, young fellur,” interposes a voice breaking in on 
the soliloquy. “ Thur’s one who kin tell the how and the why, jest as well as 
eyther o’ them ye’ve made mention o’ ; an’ thet indevidooal air ole Zeb Stump, 
at your service. But ’taint the time to talk o’ sech things now ; nor hyur aiu’*. 
the place neyiher. We must take him back under the live oalq whar he’ll gc 






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tub headless houseman. 

treated nceorclin’ to his (h sarrins Diim his ncly pieter ! It would sniwc him 
nj'ht to ninkc it n<.;licr Ity drnL'vMn’ him a si)oll at the end o’ vitr trail -rope 
^ “ Never minil ’Iwotit that. We needn’t volunteer to Ik* Henry I’einPlcxter’s 
’vengera. p’roni what they know now, I reck’n that kin Ik* trusted to the Ke*'- 
’lators.” ” 

“ How are we to get him liaek ? His horse has .-ralloped away!” 

“ Nc diteequilty beout thet. .Mister Gerald. He’s onlv fainte-l a bit . or may- 
be playin’ iiossum. In eythcr ease, I’ll .soon roust him. 'if he ain’t able to tuake 
tracks on the hr>of he kin go a liossbaek, and byur’s thceriftcr as ’ll carry him; 

I’m sick o’ flit! saddle myself, ati’ I reck’n the ole gal’s a Icctle bit sick o’ me 

Icestwise o’ iht*. spur I've liecn jiriekin’ into her. I’ve made up tny mind to go 
back on Shanks maar; an' ns for Mr. t'ash Galhoon, he's welkim to hev my 
scat for the refttru jcrticy. Kf he don’t stop sh.unmin’ an’ .sit u|)right, we kin 
pack him nccn.ss the crupper, like a side o’ dead buck-meat. Yo-ho! he be- 
gin:- to st-.ow sigti! He’ll soon rckiver his senses— all seven o’ ’em, 1 reck’n 

an’ then he kin mount ihe mruir o’ his elf. 

‘‘ Yc-up, ole boss i ” continues Zeb, g* asking Galhoun by the cellar of his coat, 
.and giving him a vigorous shake “ Yec-up, 1 s.ay: a'n’ kum along wi’ usi 
Ye’re wanted. Thar’s someliody dcsi in to have n tn'lk wi’ youl” 

“Who? where?” itupiircs the captive, slo'.ti-.- recovering conciousness, and 
staring unsteadily around him. “ Who wants lue ?” 

“Wal; I do for one; a r. ” 

“All! you it is Zeb Stun.p ! and — and ?’’ 

“An’ that air’s Mister Maurice Gerald iiic mowstanger. You’ve seen him 
before, I reck’n? Ho wants ye for two. Besides, thar’s a go.id grist o’ other 
as ud like to see ye agin back tliar by the Fort So ye’d best get upon yur 
leg.s, an’ go along wi’ us.” 

The wretched man rises to his feet In so doing, he discovers that his arms 
are eticircicd by a lazo. 

“.My horse?” he exclaim.", lookittg inquiringly around. “Where is my 
horse?” 


“ ( lie Nick only knows whar Ae air by this time. Like enuf gone back to 
i the Grand, whar he kim from. Arter the gallupin ye’ve gin him, I reck’n ho 

j air sick o the swop; an’s good off to take a 8i>cll o’ rest in his native pasters.” 

Gaihoun gazes on the old huntci- with something more than astonishment 
“ The swop ! Even tliis, too, is known t » him ! ” 

•‘Now,’ th n,” pursues Zeb, with a gesture of impatience, “Twon’tdoto 
, k'Vj) t‘'o f’oiirt a-waitin’. Areyeriddy?” 

“itcudy for what ? ” 

i “ Fust and foremost, to go back along wi’ mo an’ Mister Gerald. Second an 
j sccondmost, to stan’ yur trial.” 

; “Trial! I stand trial ! ” 

“Ytnt, .'‘lister Gulhoun. 
j “ On what charge?” 

j “ The charge o’ killin’ Henry Pcintdsxter — ^ynr own consin.” 

1 “ It’s a lie Ad -d slanderous lie, an«l whoever says it—!’’ 

j “Shet up yur head !” cries Zeb, with an anthoritative gesture. “Y’ereonl/ 

■*— ivastin’ breath. Ef this child ain’t mistook abcout it, ye '11 need all ye’ve got 
tiorc long. Kum, now 1 Make riddy to return wi’ us 1 The judge air awaiU 
•i; ihejutyair Awaitin’; Sia'Jiutico air waitin’, too— in the shape o’ Keg ’lators.^ 

i 

i 

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THl nEADLKS.S HOR.SKMAK. 


399 

t'ack,” doggedly responds Calhoun. “By what authority 
do J oil command me? You have no warrant ?” ^ ^ 

“Ilam’t 1 though?” intorrujits Zeb. “ What d’ye call this?” ho adds. 

ES/air'a grace o’ God ; an bv thet same, 

this child air a goin to execute it. So no more o’ ycr durned palaver • for I 

S mi.r:>’ minf " 'V Calhou;.^ Mo:;m?he! 

t ItcTlL n along quietly ; or try the toother dodge, an’ git 

tli'e Elciml ° incrclKindice; for back yur gout.’ to go -I swar it by 

Armin' DO Tcply. Hc glanccs at Stump -at Gerald— dc.spairingly 
Wck« of his co'li? six-shooter, protruding from thS breit^ 

Bo 1 “''' *oj>“'ol--r'JObli', bccan»! 011 I 7 hnl' resolred. 

Zeb^^iho Sh perhaps more by a movement on the part of 

^‘‘O^ck his long gun to the level. 

, Ip’^^hiims the hunter. “Mount, Mister Calhoun! Thnr’s the 
maar awaitin’ for ye. Inter the scddle, I say ! ” t a nnr s ino 

yields comEcrwk? wires of the showman, the ex-captain of cavalry 
: nmf With the commands of a backwoodsman. Hedoes so from 

M^b«n“"tT death-certain death-in disSteying 2 i^m ' 

.na,wi.l.ou. 

Zeb, afoot, strides on in advance. 

Tbo hridledength, follows upon his tracks. 

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TUS HEADLESS HOUSEMAN. 


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CHAPTER XCIX 


ATTEMPTED MUKDKR AND 8UICIDB. 


Afteh its second involuntary recess— less prolongred than the first — th# 
Court has ouco more resumed its functions under the great evergreen oak. 

It is now evening ; and the sunbeams, falling aslant, intrude upon the 
space canopied by tlie tree. 

From the golden brightness displayed by the.gi at noon, they have 
changed to a lurid red— as if th jre was anger in the sky I 

It is but an accident of the atmosphere — the portent of an approaching 
storm. 

For all this, it is remarked as singular, that n storm should be coming at 
the time : since it symbolizes the sentiment of the spectators, who look on 
with sullennt'ss in their hearts, and gloom in their glances. 

It would seem as if Heaven’s wrath was acting in concert with the pas- 
sions of Earth ! 

Maurice Oerald is no longer the cynosure of those scowling eyes. He 
has been clamourously acquitted, and is henceforth only one of the witnes- 
ses. 

In the place late occupied by him another stands. Cassius Calhoun is 
now the prisoner at the bar ! 

Tliis is the only change observable. 

The judge is the same, the iury the same, and the spectators as before; 
though with very different feelings in regard to the criminality of the ac- 
cused. 

His guilt is no longer the question that is being considered. 

It has been established beyond the shadow of a doubt. The evidence is 
already before them ; and though entirely circumstantial— as in most cases 
of murder— the circumstances form a chain irresistibly conclusive and cotn- 
plete. ' 

There is but one missing link— if link it may becalled--the motive. 

The motive both for the murder and the mutilation ; for the testimony 
of Gerald has been confirmed by a subsequent examination of the dead 
body. The surgeon of the cantonment has pronounced the two distinct, 
and that Henry Poindexter’s death must have ensued, almost instantaneously 
after receiving the shot. 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN. 


401 


Why should Cassius Calhoun have killed his own oousin ? WTiy cut oft 
his head ? 

No one can answer these questions, save the murderer himself. No one 
exj>ects him to do so— save his maker. 

Before Him ho must soon stand : for a knowledge of the motive is not 
deemed essential to his condemnation, and he has been condemned. 

The trial has come to a close ; the verd'ci Guilty has been given ; and 
the judge, laying aside his Panama hat, is about to put on the black cap- 
that dread emblem of death — preparatory to pronouncing the sentence. 

In the usual solemn manner the condemned man is invited to make bis 
final speech ; to avail himself, as it were, of the last forlorn hope for sen- 
tence. 

He starts at the invitation — falling as it does, like a death knell upon 
his ear. 

He looks wildly around. Despairingly : when on the faces that encircle 
him he sees not one wearing an expression o) sympathy. 

There is not even pity. All api)ear to frown upon him. 

His confederates — those payed rutlians who have hitherto supported him 
—are of no use uow, and their sympathy of no consequence. They have 
shrunk out of sight-'before the majesty of the law, and damning evidence 
of his guilt. 

Despite his social standing — and the wealth to sustain it — he sees him- 
self alone; without friend or sympathizer: for so stands the assassin in 
Texas I 

His demeanor is completely changed. In place of that high haughty 
air — oft exhibited in bold brutal bullyism — he looks cowed and craven. 

And not strange that he should. 

He feels that there is no chance to esc-ape: that ho is standing by the 
side of his coflin — on the edge of an Eternity too terrible to contemplate. 

To a conscience like this, it cannot be otherwise than a])palliDg. 

All at once a light is seen to flash into his eyes — sunken as they are in 
the midst of two Jivid circles. He has the air of one on the eve of making 
confession. 

Is it to be an acknowledgment of guilt ? Is he about to unburden his 
eonscience of the weight that must be on it ? 

The spectators' guessing his intention, stand breathlessly observing him. 

There is silenc*: even among the cicadas. 

It is broken by the formalized interrogatory of the judge ; 

" Have you anything to tag why tentence of death should not be pronounced upon 
you ?” 

“ No ! ” he replies," I have not. The jury has given a just verdict. I ac- 
knowledge that I have forfeited my life, and deserve to lose it.” 

Not during all the day — despite its many strange incidents and startling 
surprises — have the spectators been so astonished. They are confounded 
beyond the power of speech ; and in silence permit the condemned man to 
proceed, with what they now perceive to be his confession. 

" It is quite true,” c 'ntiiiues he, " that I killed Henry Poindexter — shot 
him dead in the chapparal.” 

Tlie declaration is answered by a cry from the crowd. It is altogethei 
involuntary, and expresses horror rather then indignation. 





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402 


THE IIKADLESS IIOflSSMAN. 


Alike involuntary is the groan that goes with it^ — proceeding from a sin. 
gle individual, whom all know to be tlie father of the murdered man — once 
more in their midst. 

Bi-yond these sounds, soon ceasing, there is nothing to hinder the con- 
fession from being continued. 

“ 1 know that I’ve got to die,” proceeds the prisoner, with an air of seem- 
ing recklessness. “You have decreed it; and I can tell by your looks you 
have no intention to change your minds. 

“ After what I’ve confessed it would be folly in me to expect pardon ; 
and I don’t. I’ve been a bad fellow ; and no doubt have done enough to 
(lesorve ray fate. But bail ns I may have been, I’m not vile enougli to be 
sent out of the world, and leave behind me the horrid imputation of having 
inurde.rtd my own cousin. I did take his life, as I’ve told you. You are all 
asking why, and conjecturing about the motive. There was none.” 

A new “ sensation” makes itself manifest among the spectators. It par- 
takes of surprise, curiosity, and incredulity. 

“ You wonder at that. It’s easily explained. I killed him by mistake!” 

The surprise culminates in a shout ; suppressed as the speaker proceeds. 

“ Yes, by mistake : and God knows I was sorry enough, on discovering 
that I had made it. I didn’t know myself till long after.” 

The condemned looks up, as if in hopes that he has touched a chord of 
mercy. There is no sign of it, on the faces that surround him — still solemnly 
anstere. 

"I don’t deny,” continues he; ” I needn’t — that I intenderl to kill some 
one. I did. Nor am I going to deny who it was. It was the cur I see 
standing before me.” 

In a glance of concentrated hatred, the speaker rests his eye upon Ger- 
ald ; who only answers with a look, so calm as almost to betray indiffer- 
ence. 

” Yes. I intended to kill him. I had my reasons. I’m not going to say 
what they werov It’s no use now. 

“ I thought I had killed him ; but, as hell’s luck would have it, the Irish 
hound had changed cloaks with my cousin. 

” You know the rest. By mistake I fired the shot — meant for an enemy, 
and fatal to a friend. It was sore enough : and poor Henry dropped from 
his horse. But to make more sure, I drew out my knife ; and the curbed 
ser.ipe still deceiving mo, I hacked off his head.” 

The “ sensation ” again expresses itself in shuddering and shouts — th« 
latter prolonged cries of retribution— mingled with that murmuring which 
proclaims a story told. 

There is no more mystery, either about the murder or its motive ; and 
the prisoner is spared further d' scription of that fiendish deed, that left the 
dead body of Henry Poindexter without a head. - 

” Now 1 ” cries he, as the shouting subsides, and the Bp)ectator8, stand 
glaring upon him, “you know all that’s passed ; but not what’s to come. 
There’s another scene yet. You see me standing on my grave ; but I don’t 
go into it, till I’ve sent him to his. I don’t by Q— d I ” 

There is no need to guess at the meaning of thio profane speech — the 
last of Callioan’e life. Its meaning is made clear by the act that acoomr 
sanies it. 


THE HEADLESS BORSEMAtf. 


40b ! 

Willie speaking he has kept his right hand under the lett bioust of his 
coat. Along with the oath it comes forth, holding a revolver. 

The spectators have Just time to see the pistol — as it glints under tho 
slanting sunbeams — when two shots are heard in quick succession. 

With a like interval between, two men fall forward upon their faces; ( 
and lie with their heads closely contiguous 1 / 

One is Maurice Gerald, the raustanger — the other Cassius Calhoun, ex- \ 
captain of volunteer cavalry, j 

The crowd closes around, believing both to be dead ; while through the j 

atillness that succeeds is heard a female voice* in these wild plaintive tocioc I 

that tell of a heart nigh parting in twain) j 


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404 


THK HEADLESS HOR8EMAK, 


CHAPTER a 


407 . 


r jo7i 

There was this under the evergreen oak, when it was discovered tn« 

I only the suicide was a success, and the attempt at assassination a failure, 
V There was this in the heart of Louise Poindexte., on learning that hel 
' lover still lived. 

‘ Though saddened by the series of tragedies so quickly transpiring, she 
rns but human ; and, being woman, who can blame her for giving way to 

7 10 subdued happiness that succeeded? 

Not 1. Not you, if you speak truly, 

Tlie passion that controlled her may not bo popular under a strictly 
\ Puritan standard. Still is it according to the dictates of Nature — univer- 
^ sal aii.l irresistible— telling us that father, mother, sister, and brother, are 
' all to be forsaken for that love illimitable : on Earth only exceeded — some- 
times scarce equalled — by the love of self. 

Do not reproach the young Creole, because this passion was paramount 
in .ler soul. Do not blame her for feeling pleasure amidst moments that 
should otherwise have been devoted to sadness. Nor, that her happiness 
" was heightened, on learning from the astonished spectators, how her lov- 
er’s life had been preserved— as it might seem miraculously. 

The aim of the assassin had been true enough. He must have felt sure 
of it liefore turning the muzzle towards ids own temples, and firing the 
bullet that lodged in bis brain. Right over the heart he had hit. his in- 
tended victim, and through the heart would the leaden missile h.yve made 
its way, but that a gage <V amour— Xhe gift of her who alone coulu have se- 
cured it such a place— turned aside the shot, causing it to rxwchtt 1 

Not harmlessly, however ; since it struck one of the spectators standing 

Ua) close to the spot. ^ -.jj 

■ Not quite harmless, either,was it to him for whom it had l^en intended. 
\ The stunning shock-with the mental and corporal excitemen^long 
lustalncd— did not fail to produce its effect ; and the mind of Maunce Go 
yald once more turned to its delirious dreaming. 


THE HEADLESS HORSEMAW. 


405 


But no longer lay his body in danger — in tlu^ cliappaml, surroundinl by 
wolves, and shadowed by soaring vultures — in abut where ho was but ill 
attended — in a jail, where he was scarce cared for at all. 

When again restored to consciousness, it was to discover : that the fair 
vision of his dreams was no vision at all ; but a lovely woman— the love- 
liest on the Leona, or in all Texas if you like ; by name Louise Poindex- 
ter. 

T!i«re was now no one to object to her nursing him ; not even her own 
I’aiher. The spirit of the aristocratic planter ; steeped in sorrow, and hu- 
miliated by misfortune; had In-come purged of its false pride; though it 
needed not this to make him willingly acquiesce in an alliance, which, in- 
sti-ad of a “ nobody,” gave him a nobleman for his son. Such, in reality, was 
Sir Maurice Gerald ; erst known as Maurice the mustanger! 

In Texas the title would have counted for little ; nor did its owner care to 
carry it. Bat, by a bit of good fortune; not always attendant on an Irish 
baronetcy, it carried along with it an endowment ; ample er.ougli to clear 
Casa del Corvo of the mortgage held by the late Cassius Calhoun, and 
claimed by his nearest of kin. 

This was not Woodley Poindexter ; for after Calhoun’s death, it was 
discovered that the ex-ca])tain had once been a Benedict ; and there was 
a young scion of his stock : living in New Orleans : who had the legal 
right to say he was his son ! 

It mattered not to Maurice Gerald : who, now clear of every entangle- 
ment, became the husband of the fair Creole. 

After a visit to his native land — including the European tour— which 
WP.8 also that of his honeymoon ; Sir Maurice swayed by his inclinatiou, 
once more returned to Texasi and made Casa del Corvo his home. 

The •' blue eyed colleen” of Castle Ballagli must have been a myth ; hiv- 
ing existence only in the erratic fancy of Phelim. Or it may have been 
the bud of a young love, blighted ere it reached blooming ; by absence, oft 
fatal to such tender plants of passion. 

Whether or no, Louisa Poindexter ; Lady Gerald she must now be call 
ed ; during her sojourn in the Emerald Isle saw nothing to excite her to 
jealously. 

Only once again did this fell pas.sion take possession of her spirit : and 
then only in the shape of a shadow soon to pass away. 

It was one day when her husband came homo to the hacienda ; bearing 
in his arms the body of a beautiful woman I 

Not yet di ad ; though the blood streaming from a wound in her bared 
bosom showed she had not long to live. 

To the question, “who has done this?” she was only able to answer, 
“ Diaz ; Di.az !” 

It was the last utterance of Isidora CoVa rubio de los Llanos ! 

As the spirit of the unhappy setwrita pa.«8ed into eternity, along with it 
went all rancour from that of her more fortunate rival. There caa be no 
jealousy of the dead. That of Lady Gerald was at rest fur ever. 

It was succeeded by a strong sjnnpathy for the ill-fated Isidora ; whdee 
story she now comprehended. She even assisted her lord in the saddling 
of his red-bay steed, aud encouraged him in the pursuit of the asaasain. 







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406 


THE ctoJAbLEBS HORSEMAN. 


She Joyed to see the latter led back at the end oi a laxo ; held in the 
hand of her husband ; and refused to interfere, when a band of Regulators; 
called hastily together, dealt out summary chastisement ; by hanging him 
to a tree ! 

It was not cruelty ; only a crude kind of justice: “ an eye for an eye, 
and a tooth for a tooih.” 

And what a poor compensation it seemed, to those who had taken part in 
exacting it ! 

As they stood gazing on the remains of the villain, and his victim; the 
swarth ruffian dangling from the branch above, and the fair form lying 
underneatit ; the liearts of the Texans were touched ; as perhaps they Lad 
never been ^fore. • 

There was a strange thought passing through their minds : a sadness 
independent of that caused by the spectacle of a murder. It was regret at 
having so hastily despatched the assassin ! 

Beautiful, even in death, was Isidore. Such features as she possessed, 
owe not everything to the light of life. That voluptuous shape — the true 
form divine— may w admired in the cold statue. 

Men stood gazing upon her dead body — long gazing — loth to go awaf 
length going with thoughts not altogether SMged I 









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